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WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY. 


From the Quarterly Review, Oct. 1873. 

’ “ Seventy years passed before Johnson was followed by Webster, an 
American writer, who faced the task of the English Dictionary with a 
full appreciation of its requirements, leading to better practicalresults.'’ 

• • • • 

“ His laborious comparison of twenty languages, though never pub¬ 
lished, bore fruit in his own mind, and his training placed him both in 
knowledge and judgment far in advance of Johnson as a philologist. 
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“ The acceptance of an American Dictionary in England has itself 
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“The good average business-like character of Webster’s Dictionary, 
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BOHN'S ILLUSTRATED LIBRARY. 


SOUTHEY’S 


LIFE OF NELSON. 























OB, 1805 























THE 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


BY 


* 


ROBERT SOUTHEY. 

n 


ILLUSTRATED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS ON STEEL AND 
WOOD, FROM DESIGNS BY EDWARD DUNCAN, BIRKET 

FOSTER, RICHARD WESTALL, AND OTHERS. 

* 


NEW EDITION, 

With Additional Notes and Plates , and a General Index. 


.“ Bursting through the gloom 

With radiant glory from thy trophied tomb 
The sacred splendour of thy deathless name 
Shall grace and guard thy Country’s martial fame : 
Far-seen shall blaze the unextinguish’d ray 
A mighty beacon, lighting Glory’s way; 

With living lustre this proud Land adorn, 








j)/\»7 

.1 

N + St 

18 r 15 


LONDON: 

PRINTED RT WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS. 

STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS. 


TRANSFER 

Bo O. PUBLIC LIBRARY 
6fiPT. lO,1940 


I XSC ib 0 <pt> 



®nnr 

CONTENTS. 


p/.aa 

Memoir op Nei^on’s Services, Written by Himself . . 1 

CHAPTER I. 

Nelson’s Birth and Boyhood—He is entered on Board the 
Raisonnable — Goes to the West Indies in a Merchant- 
ship—His Dislike to the Royal Navy—Serves in the 
Triumph —Sails in Captain Phipps’ Voyage of Discovery 
to the North Pole—Adventures in the Polar Regions — 
Passes his Examination for a Lieutenancy—Proceeds to 
the East Indies in the Seahorse —Returns in ill Health— 
Consequent Despondency—Reaction of Feeling—Serves 
as Acting-Lieutenant in the Worcester, and is made Lieu¬ 
tenant into the Lowestoffe, Commander into the Badger 
Brig, and Post into the Hinchinbrook —Expedition against 
the Spanish Main—Its Failure — Injury to Nelson’s 
Health—He is appointed to the Janus, but obliged to 
resign the Command—Returns to England—He is sent 
to the North Seas in the Albemarle —His Services during 
the American War—Narrowly escapes Matrimony — Is 
presented at Court.13 







VI 


CONTENTS. 


PAGS 

CHAPTER II. 

Nelson goes to France during the Peace—Forms a second 
Attachment—Is re-appointed to the Boreas —Goes to 
the West Indies—His Kindness to his Midshipmen— 

Has a Dispute with Admiral Hughes—Chases a French 
Frigate — Enforces the Navigation Act — Meets with 
Opposition from the West Indians—Seizes four Ameri¬ 
can Vessels—Is prosecuted by the Captains—Marries the 
Widow of Dr. Nisbet—Exposes the Conduct of the Navy 
Contractors—Returns to England — His Reception — Is 
on the point of quitting the Service in Disgust—His 
manner of Life while at Home—Is threatened with a 
new Prosecution—Applies for Active Employment— 
Appointed to the Agamemnon on the breaking out of the 
War of the French Revolution.47 

CHAPTER III. 

The Agamemnon sent to the Mediterranean—Commencement 
of Nelson’s Acquaintance with Sir William and Lady 
Hamilton—Is sent to join Commodore Linzee, at Tunis 
—Action with a French Frigate—Is ordered to Corsica, 
to co-operate with Paoli—The Struggles of the Corsicans 
for Liberty—Their Treatment by the French—The Pro¬ 
tector Gaffori—The Patriot Paoli—Siege of St. Fiorenzi 
—Nelson besieges and reduces Bastia—Takes a promi¬ 
nent part in the Siege of Calvi — Loses an Eye—Annexa¬ 
tion of Corsica—Admiral Hotham’s Action—The Aga¬ 
memnon engages the Cairn and Genseur —Nelson proceeds 
to Genoa to co-operate with the Austrian and Sardinian 
Forces—General de Vins—His Character and Conduct 
—Nelson’s Difficulties—Defeat of the Austrians . . 75 

CHAPTER IV. 

Sir John Jervis takes the Command—His Confidence in Nel¬ 
son—Genoa openly joins the French—Bonaparte begins 
his Career—His first Successes in Italy—Evacuation of 





CONTENTS. 


Corsica—Nelson superintends the Embarkation at Bastia PAGU 
—Hoists his broad Pendant in the Minerve Frigate— 
Engages two Spanish Frigates—Leaves the Mediterranean 
— Proceeds to join the Admiral—Falls in with the Spanish 
Fleet Battle off Cape St. Vincent—Captures the San 
Nicolas and San Josef —Sir John Jervis’s Account of the 
Victory—Nelson receives the Order of the Bath—Com¬ 
mands the Inner Squadron at the Blockade of Cadiz— 
Conflict with a Spanish Launch—Expedition against Santa 
Cruz—Is shot through the Arm—Failure of the Attack 
Generosity of the Spanish Governor—Nelson returns 
to England—Sufferings from his Wound—Recovery .119 

CHAPTER V. 

Nelson hoists his Flag in the Vanguard, and joins Earl St. 
Vincent—Is despatched to the Mediterranean—En¬ 
counters a Gale in the Gulf of Lyons—His Reflections 
on the consequent Disasters—Refits at St. Pietro—Is 
reinforced, and sails in search of the French Fleet—Re¬ 
turns to Sicily, and victuals at Syracuse—Sails again for 
Egypt—Finds the French Fleet in Aboukir Bay—His 
Plan of Attack — Battle of the Nile—Is wounded in the 
Head—Blowing up of V Orient —The result of the Battle 
a Conquest, not a Victory—His expression of regret at 
the want of Frigates—Sends Intelligence of the Victory 
to India—Honours conferred upon him—His Exertions 
on behalf of his Officers and Men — His disposal of the 
Prizes—Sets out on his Return to Naples . . .155 

CHAPTER VI. 

Returns to Naples—His Reception there—State of that 
Court and Kingdom—General Mack—Defeat of the 
Neapolitan Army—The French approach Naples—Flight 
of the Royal Family—Renewed Operations against the 
French — State of Affairs in Sicily—Conduct of the 
Neapolitans, and consequent Difficulties of the British 




V UL 


CONTENTS. 


PAGE 

Officers—Siege of Uovo and Nuovo—Nelson arrives, 
and annuls the Capitulation—Successes of the Allies— 
Nelson’s Conduct to Caraccioli—Disobeys the Order to 
repair to Minorca—His Reasons — Restoration of Royalty 
at Naples—Is made Duke of Bronte—Expels the French 
from Rome — Siege of Malta—Sufferings of the Troops 
and People — Conduct of the Sicilian Court—Decided 
Measures of Captain Ball—Capitulation of Malta—Nel¬ 
son leaves the Mediterranean, and returns to England— 
Incidents of his Journey—Popular Admiration of him 
—The old German Pastor . , , . . .195 

CHAPTER VII. 

Enthusiastic Reception of Nelson in England—Separates 
from Lady Nelson—Is sent to the Baltic under Sir Hyde 
Parker—The Expedition against Copenhagen—Plans of 
Attack—Difficulties in passing the Sound—The Fleet off 
Cronenburg Castle—Battle of Copenhagen—Sir Hyde 
makes the Signal to cease Action, which is disobeyed by 
Nelson—Success of the British—Nelson’s Letter to the 
Crown-Prince—Cessation of Hostilities—Extent of the 
Casualties — Negotiations for an Armistice—Nelson’s 
Interviews with the Crown-Prince—Disposal of the Prizes 
—The Danish Commodore’s Account of the Battle, ani 
Nelson’s Reply—Is made a Viscount .... 253 


CHAPTER VIII. 

Recall of Sir Hyde Parker, and Appointment of Nelson to the 
Command—Goes to Revel—Peace with Russia, and 
Settlement of Affairs in the Baltic—Suspicious Conduct 
of Denmark — Returns to England—Commands the 
Channel Fleet—Unsuccessful Attack upon the French 
Flotilla at Boulogne—Peace of Amiens—Renewal of the 
War—Nelson again takes the Command in the Mediter¬ 
ranean—Hostilities with Spain—Blockade of Toulon— 
M. Latouche Treville — Escape of Villeneuve’s Fleet— 




CONTENTS. 


IX 


?AGE 

Nelson goes to Egypt in search of it—Then chases it to 
the West Indies and back—Delivers up his Squadron to 
Admiral Cornwallis—Returns to England . . 21)9 

CHAPTER IX. 

Sir Robert Calder’s Action—Yilleneuve’s Fleet gets into 
Cadiz—General Approval of Nelson’s Conduct—His Life 
at Merton—His Anxiety regarding the Combined Fleets 
— Offers his Services, and is re-appointed to the Com¬ 
mand in the Mediterranean—His Departure from Ports¬ 
mouth—Popular Demonstrations of Attachment to him 
— Arrives off Cadiz—Reception of him by the Fleet — 
Villeneuve puts to Sea—Nelson’s Plan of Attack—His 
Last Appeal on behalf of Lady Hamilton—Judicious Dis¬ 
positions of Villeneuve—Nelson’s celebrated Signal— 
Battle of Trafalgar— Breaking the Enemy’s Line—Nelson 
receives his Death-wound—His Last Moments—Cap¬ 
ture of the Redoubtable , from which the fatal Shot was 
fired—Results of the Battle—Honours conferred on 
Nelson’s Memory—Conclusion.34? 













LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 


TOI4M 


EDWARD DUNCAN 
RICHARD WESTALL 
BIRKET ROSTER 
» 

» 


portrait or nelson {steel) 

STATUE OE NELSON, BY BATLY 
PORTRAIT OE NELSON .... 

NELSON TAKING SOUNDINGS IN THE CHANNEL DESIGNED BY BIRKET ROSTER 
BIRTH-PLACE OF NELSON — BURNHAM-THORPE 
CHURCH AT BURNHAM-THORPE 
NELSON AT THE BROOK .... 

NELSON ENCOUNTERING A BEAR 
HAULING THE BOATS OVER THE ICE 
NELSON VOLUNTEERS TO BOARD A PRIZE 
NELSON PUT ON BOARD IIlS SHIP DURING A S 
NELSON PRESENTED AT COURT 
THE BOREAS AT ST. KITTS 
CHASE OF A FRENCH FRIGATE 
A RACE TO THE MAST-HEAD . 

NELSON AND MRS. NISBET’S CHILD 
NELSON BIRDS’-NESTING WITH HIS WIFE 
NELSON AND HIS PONY .... 

THE AGAMEMNON. 

FORTRESS OF BASTIA .... 

ACTION BETWEEN THE AGAMEMNON AND THE CA IRA 
PORTRAIT OF LADY HAMILTON 
PORTRAIT OF GENERAL PAOLI 
PORTRAIT OF VISCOUNT HOOD {steel) 

NELSON CHASED INTO ST. FIORENZO BY THE 
SAILOR ON THE LOOK-OUT 
NELSON’S DEPARTURE FROM CORSICA 

ACTION BETWEEN THE CAPTAIN AND SANTISSIMA TRINIDAD 
ENGAGEMENT BETWEEN THE MINERVE AND THE SABINA 

NELSON BOARDS THE SAN JOSEF. 

NELSON RECEIVING THE SPANISH ADMIRAL’S SWORD . 


FRENCH FLEET 


Frontispiece 
, Page v 
. . xiii 


13 
15 
15 
17 
24 
26 
31 
40 
45 
47 
49 
51 
61 
69 
71 
73 
75 
77 
79 
. 86 
. 93 

EDWARD DUNCAN 107 

. 118 
119 
121 

. . . . 129 

BIRKET FOSTER 136 
RICHARD WESTALL 137 


SIR T. LAWRENCE 


BIRKET FOSTER 
EDWARD DUNCAN 
















Xll 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 


BATTLE O 


CONFLICT WITH A SPANISH LAUNCH 
NELSON SHOT THROUGH THE ARM 
FAC-SIMILE OF NELSON’S HAND-WRITING 
NELSON HAULED ON BOARD THE THESEUS 
THE ENGLISH SQUADRON 
BLOWING UP OF L’ORIENT 
GALE IN THE GULF OF LYONS 
THE ENGLISH FLEET AT SYRACUSE 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF THE NILE 
NELSON WOUNDED AT THE NILE . 

BURNING OF THE FRENCH PRIZES . 

NAPLES . 

NELSON’S RECEPTION AT NAPLES AFTER THE 

NILE. 

NELSON’S ARRIVAL IN THE BAY OF NAPLES 
NELSON AND THE GERMAN PASTOR 
CRONENBURG CASTLE .... 

BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN 

THE ENGLISH FLEET PASSING CRONENBURG CASTLE 
THE ENGLISH FLEET BEFORE COPENHAGEN 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN 
NELSON SEALING HIS LETTER TO THE CROWN 

DENMARK . 

THE FLOTILLA AT BOULOGNE 
TIIE ATTACK ON THE BOULOGNE FLOTILLA 
THE ENGLISH FLEET BEFORE TOULON . 

THE ENGLISH SQUADRON BEFORE GIBRALTAR 
ARRIVAL OF THE VICTORY AND SUPERB AT PORTSMOUTH 
MONUMENT TO NELSON IN ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL 
NELSON AND LADY HAMILTON AT MERTON . 

the victory (steel) . 

NELSON’S DEPARTURE FROM PORTSMOUTH 
PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR 
THE VICTORY BREAKING THE ENEMY’S LINE AT TRAFA 
DEATH OF NELSON AT TRAFALGAR 
PORTRAIT OF SIR THOMAS HARDY (steel) 


PRINCE OF 


Tn 


GAR 


PAGE 

RICHARD WESTALL 141 
146 
. 163 

154 

155 
157 
160 
167 
173 
178 

194 

195 


BIRKET FOSTER 


EDWARD DUNCAN 
BIRKET FOSTER 


BIRKET FOSTER 


BIRKET FOSTER 


197 

EDWARD DUNCAN 224 
BIRKET FOSTER 251 

253 

>• 255 

267 
274 
276 


EDWARD DUNCAN 


BIRKET FOSTER 


EDWARD DUNCAN 


BIRKET FOSTER 


BIRKET FOSTER 


285 

299 

301 

321 

342 

345 

347 

349 


352 


BIRKET FOSTER 


EDWARD DUNCAN 
BIRKET FOSTER 
























JIORATIO NELSON, BORN SEPT. 29 , 1758 , DTED OCT. 2 ^. 18 .) 6 . 


Many lives of Nelson have been written: one is 
wanting, clear and concise enough to become a manual 
for the young sailor, which he may carry about with 
him, till he has treasured up the example in his memory 
and in his heart. In attempting such a work, I shall 
write the eulogy of our great naval hero; for the best- 
eulogy of Nelson is the faithful history of his actions: 
the best history, that which shall relate them most 
perspicuously. 


I 
















T9 

JOHN WILSON CROKER, ESQ. LL.D. F.R.S. 

SECRETARY OF THE ADMIRALTY ; 

WHO, BY THE OFFICIAL SITUATION WHICH HE SO ABLY FILLS, 
IS QUALIFIED TO APPRECIATE ITS HISTORICAL ACCURACY ; 

AND WHO, 

AS A MEMBER OF THE REPUBLIC OF LETTERS, 

IS EQUALLY QUALIFIED TO DECIDE UPON ITS LITERARY MERITS. 

THIS WORK 

IR RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED BY HIS FRIEND, 


THE AUTHOR 










MEMOIR OF NELSON’S SERVICES. 


WRITTEN BY HIMSELF. 

- « - 

October 15, 1799. Port Mahon. 

f) Horatio Nelson, son of the Rev. Edmund Nelson, 

1 Rector of Burnham-Thorpe, in the county of Norfolk, 
and of Catherine his wife, daughter of Doctor Suckling, 
Prebendary of Westminster, whose grandmother was 

! sister of Sir Robert Walpole, Earl of Orford. 

I was born September 29th, 1758, in the parsonage- 
house ; was sent to the high school at Norwich, and 
afterwards removed to North Walsham, from whence, 

i on the disturbance with Spain, relative to the Falkland 
Islands, I went to sea with my uncle. Captain Maurice 
Suckling, in the Raisonnable of 64 guns. But the 
business with Spain being accommodated, I was sent in 
a West-India ship, belonging to Hibbert, Purrier, and 
Horton, with Mr. John Rathbone, who had formerly 
been in the navy, in the Dreadnought , with Captain 
Suckling. From this voyage I returned to the Triumph, 
at Chatham, in July, 1772; and, if I did not improve 
in my education, I came back a practical seaman, with 
J. B 


ft 








2 


NELSON'S MEMOIR OF HIS SEEY1CES. 


a horror of the royal navy, and with a saying then 
constant with seamen, 66 Aft the most honour, forward 
the best man! ” It was many weeks before I got in 
the least reconciled to a man-of-war, so deep was the 
prejudice rooted; and what pains were taken to instil 
this erroneous principle in a young mind! However, 
as my ambition was to be a seaman, it was always held 
out as a reward, that if I attended well to my naviga¬ 
tion, I should go in the cutter and decked long-boat, 
which were attached to the commanding officer’s ship 
at Chatham. Thus by degrees I became a good pilot 
for vessels of that description, from Chatham to the 
Tower of London, down to the Swin and the North 
Foreland, and confident of myself amongst rocks and 
sands, which has been many times since of great com¬ 
fort to me. In this way I was trained, until the expe¬ 
dition towards the North Pole was fitted out; when 
although no boys were allowed to go in the ships (as of 
no use), yet nothing could prevent my using my interest 
to go with Captain Lutwidge, in the Carcass; and as I 
fancied I was to fill a man’s place, I begged I might be 
his cockswain: which, finding my ardent desire for 
going with him. Captain Lutwidge complied with, and 
has continued the strictest friendship to this moment 
Lord Mulgrave, whom I then first knew, maintained 
his kindest friendship and regard to the last moment of 
his life. When the boats were fitting out to quit the 
two ships blocked up in the ice, I exerted myself to 
have the command of a four-oared cutter raised upon, 
which was given me, with twelve men; and I prided 
myself that I could navigate her better than any other 
boat in the ship. 




nelson’s memoir of his services. 


3 


On our arrival in England, being paid off, Octobei 
loth, I found that a squadron was fitting out for the 
East Indies, and nothing less than such a distant voyage 
could in the least satisfy my desire of maritime know¬ 
ledge. I was placed in the Seahorse , 20 guns, with 
Captain Farmer, and watched in the fore-top; from 
whence in time I was placed on the quarter-deck, 
having, in the time I was in this ship, visited almost 
every part of the East Indies, from Bengal to Bussorah. 
Ill health induced Sir Edward Hughes, who had always 
shown me the greatest kindness, to send me to England 
in the Dolphin, 20 guns, with Captain James Pigot, 
whose kindness at that time saved my life. This ship 
was paid off at Woolwich, on 24th September, 1776. 
On the 26th, I received an order from Sir James 
Douglass, who commanded at Portsmouth, to act as 
lieutenant of the Worcester, 64, Captain Mark Bobinson, 
who was ordered to Gibraltar with a convoy. In this 
ship I was at sea with convoys until April 2d, 1777, 
and in very bad weather. But although my age might 
have been sufficient cause for not intrusting me with 
the charge of a watch, yet Captain Bobinson used to 
say, “he felt as easy when I was upon deck as any 
officer in the ship.” 

On the 8th of April, 1777, 1 passed my examination 
as a lieutenant, and received my commission the next 
day, as second lieutenant of the Lowestoffe frigate, of 
32 guns, Captain (afterwards Lieutenant-governor of 
Greenwich Hospital) William Locker. In this ship I 
went to Jamaica; but even a frigate was not sufficiently 
active for my mind, and I got into a schooner, tender 
to the Lowestoffe. In this vessel I made myself a 



4 


NELSON S ME WOT R OF HIS SERVICES. 




complete pilot for all the passages through the Keys 
(islands) situated on the north side of Hispaniola. 
Whilst in the frigate, an event happened which pre¬ 
saged my character; and as it conveys no dishonour to 
the officer alluded to, I shall insert it. 

Blowing a gale of wind, and a very heavy sea, the fri¬ 
gate captured an American letter-of-marque. The first 
lieutenant was ordered to board her, which he did not do, 
owing to the very heavy sea. On his return, the captain 
said, “ Have I no officer in the ship who can board the 
prize ? ” On which the master ran to the gangway, to 
get into the boat, when I stopped him saying, “ It is my 
turn now; and if I come back it is yours.” This little 
incident has often occurred to my mind; and I know 
that it is my disposition, that difficulties and dangers 
do but increase my desire of attempting them. 

Sir Peter Parker, soon after his arrival at Jamaica, 
1778, took me into his own flag-ship, the Bristol , as 
third lieutenant, from which I rose by succession to be 
the first. Nothing particular happened whilst I was in 
this ship, which was actively employed off Cape Franpois, 
it being the commencement of the French war. 

On the 8th of December, 1778, I was appointed as 
commander of the Badger brig, and was first sent to 
protect the Mosquito shore, and the bay of Honduras, 
from the depredations of the American privateers. 
Whilst on this service, I gained so much on the affec¬ 
tions of the settlers, that they unanimously voted me 
their thanks, and expressed their regret on my leaving 
them, intrusting me to describe to Sir Peter Parker 
and Sir John Dalling their situation, should a war with 
Spain break out. Whilst I commanded this brig, 





nelson’s memoir of his services. 


5 


H.M.S. Glasgow, Captain Thomas Lloyd, came into 
Montego Bay, Jamaica, where the Badger was lying; 
in two hours afterwards she took fire by a cask of rum; 
and Captain Lloyd will tell you, that it was owing to 
my exertions, joined to his, that her whole crew were 
rescued from the flames. 

On the 11th of June, 1779, I was made post in the 
Hinchinbrook: when, being at sea, and Count d’Estaing 
arriving at Hispaniola with a very large fleet and army 
from Martinico, an attack on Jamaica was expected. 
In this critical state I was, by both admiral and general, 
intrusted with the command of the batteries at Port 
Royal; and I need not say, as this place was the key 
to the whole naval force, the town of Kingston, and 
Spanish Town, the defence of it was the most important 
post in the whole island. 

In January, 1780, an expedition being resolved on 
against St. Juan’s, I was chosen to direct the sea part of 
it. Major Poison, who commanded, will tell you of my 
exertions; how I quitted my ship, carried troops in 
boats an hundred miles up a river, which none but 
Spaniards, since the buccaneers, had ever ascended: it 
will then be told how I boarded, if I may be allowed 
the expression, an outpost of the enemy, situated on an 
island in the river; that I made batteries and after¬ 
wards fought them, and was principal cause of our 
success. From this scene I was appointed to the 
Janus, 44, at Jamaica, and went to Port Royal in the 
Victor sloop. 

My state of health was now so bad that I was obliged 
to go to England in the Lion, Hon. W. Cornwallis 
captain; whose care and attention again saved my life. 








6 nelson’s memoir of his services. 

In August, 1781, I was commissioned for the Albe¬ 
marle , and, it would almost be supposed to try my 
constitution, was kept the whole winter in the North 
Sea. In April, 1782, I sailed with a convoy for New¬ 
foundland and Quebec, under orders of Captain Thomas 
Pringle. From Quebec, during a cruise off Boston, I 
was chased by three French ships of the line, and the 
Iris frigate; as they all beat me in sailing very much, 
I had no chance left, but running them amongst the 
shoals of St. Greorge’s Bank. This alarmed the line- 
of-battle ships, and they quitted the pursuit; but the 
frigate continued, and at sunset was little more than 
gun-shot distant: when, the line-of-battle ships being 
out of sight, I ordered the main-top-sail to be laid to 
the mast; on this the frigate tacked and stood to rejoin 
her consorts. 

In October I sailed from Quebec with a convoy to 
New York, where I joined the fleet under the command 
of Lord Hood; and in November I sailed with him to 
the West Indies, where I remained until the peace, 
when I came to England,—being directed in my way 
to attend H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence, on his visit to 
the Havannah, and was paid off at Portsmouth, on July 
the 3d, 1783. In the autumn I went to France, and 
remained there until the spring of the year 1784; 
when I was appointed to the Boreas frigate, of 28 gims, 
and ordered to the Leeward Island station. 

This station opened a new scene to the officers of 
the British navy. The Americans, when colonists, 
possessed almost all the trade from America to our 
West India islands, and on the return of peace they 
forgot, on this occasion, that they became foreigners, 







nelson’s memoir of his SERVICES. '/ 

and of course had no right to trade in the British 
colonies. Our governors and custom-house officers pre¬ 
tended, that by the Navigation Act they had a right to 
trade; and all the West Indians wished what was so 
much for their interest. 

Having given governors, custom-house officers, and 
Americans, notice of what I would do, I seized many of 
their vessels, which brought all parties upon me; and 
I was persecuted from one island to another, so that I 
could not leave my ship. But conscious rectitude bore 
me through it, and I was supported, when the business 
came to be understood, from home; and I proved, and 
an act of parliament has since established it, that a 
captain of a man-of-war is in duty bound to support all 
the maritime laws, by his admiralty commission alone, 
without becoming a custom-house officer. 

In July, 1786, I was left with the command until 
June, 1787, when I left for England. During the winter 
H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence visited the Leeward 
Islands in the Pegasus frigate, of which he was captain. 
And in March this year I married Frances Herbert 
Nisbet, of the island of Nevis, by whom I have no 
children. 

The Boreas being paid off at Sheerness, on Novem¬ 
ber 30th, I lived at Burnham-Thorpe, county of Norfolk, 
in the parsonage-house. In 1790, when the affair with 
Spain, relative to Nootka Sound, had nearly involved 
us in a war, I made use of every interest to get a ship, 
ay, even a boat, to serve my country, but in vain ; there 
was evidently a prejudice at the Admiralty against me, 
which I can neither guess at nor in the least account for. 

On the 30th of January, 1793, I was commissioned 








8 


nelson’s memoir of his services. 


in the handsomest way for the Agamemnon , 64 guns, 
and was put under the command of that great and ex¬ 
cellent officer Lord Hood, appointed to the command of 
the Mediterranean. The unbounded confidence on all 
occasions placed in me by his lordship will show his 
opinion of my abilities : having served in the command 
of the seamen landed for the sieges of Bastia and 
Calvi. 

His lordship in October, 1794, left the Mediter¬ 
ranean to Admiral Hotham, who also honoured me with 
the same confidence. I was in the actions of the 13th 
and 14th of March, 1795, and 13th of July in the same 
year. For the share I had in them I refer to the 
Admiralty letters. I was then appointed by Admiral 
Hotham to co-operate with the Austrian general De 
Vins, which I did all the time Admiral Hotham re¬ 
tained the command, until November, when he was 
superseded by Sir John Jervis, now Earl Vincent. 

In April, 1796, the commander-in-chief so much 
approved of my conduct, that he directed me to wear a 
distinguishing pendant. In June I was removed from 
the Agamemnon to the Captain, and on the 11th of 
August had a captain appointed under me. Between 
April and October, 1796, I was employed in the 
blockade of Leghorn, taking Porto Ferrajo, the island 
of Caprea, and finally in the evacuation of Bastia : 
w T hen, having seen the troops in safety to Porto Ferrajo, 
I joined the admiral in St. Fiorenzo Bay, and proceeded 
with him to Gibraltar; when in December I was sent 
in La Minerve frigate. Captain George Cockburn, to 
Porto Ferrajo, to bring down our naval stores, &c. On 
the passage we captured a Spanish frigate, La Sabina, 












nelson’s memoir of his services. 


9 


of 40 guns, 28 eighteen-pounders on her main deck, as 
will appear by my letter. 

For an account of what passed from our sailing from 
Porto Ferrajo on the 29th of January, 1797, to the 
finish of the action on the 14th of February, I refer to 
the account published by Colonel Drinkwater. The 
King, for my conduct, gave me a gold medal, and the 
city of London a gold box. 

In April, 1797, I hoisted my flag as Rear-Admiral 
of the Blue, and was sent to bring down the garrison of 
Porto Ferrajo; which service performed, I shifted my 
flag from the Gajptain to the Theseus on May the 27th, 
and was employed in the command of the inner squa¬ 
dron at the blockade of Cadiz. It was during this period 
that perhaps my personal courage was more conspicuous 
than at any other part of my life. In an attack of 
the Spanish gun-boats I was boarded, in my barge, 
with its common crew of ten men, cockswain, Captain 
Freeman tie, and myself, by the commander of the gun¬ 
boats ; the Spanish barge rowed twenty-six oars, besides 
officers—thirty men in the whole. This was a service 
hand-to-hand with swords, in which my cockswain, John 
Sykes, now no more, twice saved my life. Eighteen of 
the Spaniards being killed, and several wounded, we 
succeeded in taking their commander. On the 15th of 
July, 1797, I sailed for Teneriffe ; for the event, I refer 
to my letter on that expedition. Having then lost my 
right arm, for this loss and my former services his Ma¬ 
jesty was pleased to settle on me a pension of 1000?. 
a-year. By some unlucky mismanagement of my arm, 
I was obliged to go to England, and it was the 13th of 
December, 1797, before the surgeons pronounced me fit 







10 


nelson’s memoir of his services. 


for service. On the 19th of December, the Vanguard 
was commissioned for my flag-ship. On the 1st of 
April, 1798, I sailed with a convoy from Spithead; at 
the back of the Isle of Wight, the wind coming to the 
westward, I was forced to return to St. Helen’s, and 
finally sailed on the 9th of April, carrying a convoy to 
Oporto and Lisbon. I joined Earl St. Vincent off 
Cadiz, on April 29th; on the 30th I was ordered to the 
Mediterranean. I refer to the printed narrative of my 
proceedings to the close of the battle of the Nile. 

On the 22d of September, 1798,1 arrived at Naples, 
and was received as a deliverer by the King, Queen, 
and the whole kingdom. October 12th, the blockade of 
Malta took place, which has continued without inter¬ 
mission to this day. On the 21st of December, 1798, 
his Sicilian Majesty and family embarked in the Van¬ 
guard, and were carried to Palermo in Sicily. In 
March, 1799, I arranged a plan for taking the islands 
in the bay of Naples, and for supporting the royalists, 
who were making head in the kingdom. This plan 
succeeded in every part. In May I shifted my flag, 
being promoted to be Rear-Admiral of the Red, to the 
Foudroyant, and was obliged to be on my guard against 
the French fleets. In June and July, 1799, I went to 
Naples, and, as his Sicilian Majesty is pleased to say, 
reconquered his kingdom, and placed him on his throne. 
On the 9th of August, I brought his Sicilian Majesty 
back to Palermo, having been upwards of four weeks on 
board of the Foudroyant. 

On the 13th, his Sicilian Majesty presented me with 
a sword magnificently enriched with diamonds, the title 
of the Duke of Bronte, and annexed to it the fief of 








nelson's memoir of his seryices. 


n 


Bronte, supposed to be worth 3000L per annum. On 
the arrival of the Russian squadron at Naples, I directed 
Commodore Troubridge to go with the squadron, and 
blockade closely Civita Vecchia, and to offer the French 
most favourable conditions if they would evacuate 
Rome and Civita Vecchia; which terms the French 
general Grenier complied with, and they were signed 
on board the Culloden: when a prophecy made to me 
on my arrival at Naples was fulfilled, viz. That I should 
take Rome with my ships. Thus may be exemplified 
by my life, that perseverance in any profession will 
most probably meet its reward. Without having any 
inheritance, or having been fortunate in prize-money, 
I have received all the honours of my profession, been 
created a peer of Great Britain, &c. And I may say 
to the reader, 

“ GO THOU AND DO LIKEWISE.” 
































































. 








. 










* 
























'V «- 



CONTENTS OF CHAPTER I. 

Nelson s Birth and Boyhood—He is entered on board the 
Raisonnable —Goes to the West Indies in a Merchant-ship—His 
Dislike to the Royal Navy—Serves in the Triumph —Sails in 
Captain Phipps’ Voyage of Discovery to the North Pole—Adven¬ 
tures in the Polar Regions—Passes his Examination for a Lieu¬ 
tenancy— Proceeds to the East Indies in the Seahorse —Returns 
in ill Health—Consequent Despondency—Reaction of Feeling 
—Serves as Acting-Lieutenant in the Wo't'cester, and is made 
•Lieutenant into the Lowestoffe, Commander into the Badger Brig, 
and Post into the HinchinbrooJc —Expedition against the Spanish 
Main—Its Failure—Injury to Nelson’s Health—He is appointed 
to the Janus, but obliged to resign the Command—Returns to 
England—He is sent to the North Seas in the Albemarle —His 
Services during the American War—Narrowly escapes Matri¬ 
mony— Is presented at Court. 













































OEATIO, sou of 
Edmund and Ca¬ 
therine Nelson, 
i was born Sep¬ 
tember 29, 1758, 
in the parsonage-house 
of Burnham-Thorpe, a 
village in the county of 
Norfolk, of which his 
father was rector. The 
maiden name of his mo¬ 
ther was Suckling: her 
grandmother was an elder 
sister of Sir Eobert Walpole, 
and tnis child was named 


£Hu UCU. AT BURNHAM-THORPE. 



















16 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1770. 


after his godfather, the first Lord Walpole. Mrs. Nel¬ 
son died in 1767, leaving eight out of eleven children. 
Her brother, Captain Maurice Suckling, of the navy, 
visited the widower upon this event, and promised to 
take care of one of the boys. Three years afterwards, 
when Horatio was only twelve years of age, being at 
home during the Christmas holidays, he read in the 
county newspaper that his uncle was appointed to the 
Raisonnable, of sixty-four guns. “ Do, William,” said 
he to a brother who was a year and a half older than 
himself, “ write to my father and tell him that I should 
like to go to sea with uncle Maurice.” Mr. Nelson was 
then at Bath, whither he had gone for the recovery of 
his health : his circumstances were straitened, and he 
had no prospect of ever seeing them bettered: he knew 
that it was the wish of providing for himself by which 
Horatio was chiefly actuated; and did not oppose his 
resolution: he understood also the boy’s character, and 
had. always said, that in whatever station he might be 
placed, he would climb, if possible, to the very top of 
the tree. Accordingly Captain Suckling was written 
to. c< What,” said he in his answer, “ has poor 
Horatio done, who is so weak, that he, above all the 
rest, should be sent to rough it out at sea?—But 
let him come, and the first time we go into action a 
cannon-ball may knock off his head, and provide for 
him at once.” 

It is manifest from these words, that Horatio was 
not the boy whom his uncle would have chosen to bring 
up in his own profession. He was never of a strong body; 
and the ague, which at that time was one of the most 
common diseases in England, had greatly reduced his 
strength ; yet he had already given proofs of that resolute 







ANECDOTES OP HIS BOYHOOD. 17 

heart and nobleness of mind, which, during his whole 
career of labour and of glory, so eminently distinguished 
him. When a mere child, he strayed a bird’s-nesting 
from his grandmother’s house in company with a cow¬ 
boy : the dinner-hour elapsed; he was absent, and could 



not be found; and the alarm of the family became very 
great, for they apprehended that he might have been 
carried off by gipsies. At length, after search had been 
made for him in various directions, he was discovered 
alone, sitting composedly by the side of a brook which 
he could not get over. I wonder, ^hild,” said the old 

c 



















18 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1771 . 


lady when she saw him, “that hunger and fear did 
not drive you home.”—“Fear! grandmamma,” replied 
the future hero, “1 never saw fear:—What is it?” 
Once, after the winter holidays, when he and his brother 
William had set off on horseback to return to school, 
they came back because there had been a fall of snow; 
and William, who did not much like the journey, said 
it was too deep for them to venture on. “ If that be 
the case,” said the father, “ you certainly shall not go: 
but make another attempt, and I will leave it to your 
honour. If the road is dangerous, you may return: but 
remember, boys, I leave it to your honour.” The snow 
was deep enough to have afforded them a reasonable 
excuse: but Horatio was not to be prevailed upon to 
turnback. “We must go on,” said he: “remember, 
brother, it was left to our honour !”—There were some 
fine pears growing in the schoolmaster’s garden, which 
the boys regarded as lawful booty; but the boldest 
among them were afraid to venture for the prize. 
Horatio volunteered upon this service: he was lowered 
down at night from the bedroom window by some 
sheets, plundered the tree, was drawn up with the pears, 
and then distributed them among his schoolfellows 
without reserving any for himself.—“He only took 
them,” he said, “ because every other boy was afraid.” 

Early on a cold and 'dark spring morning Mr. 
Nelson’s servant arrived at this school, at North 
Walsham, with the expected summons for Horatio to 
join his ship. The parting from his brother William, 
who had been for so many years his playmate and bed¬ 
fellow, was a painful effort, and was the beginning of 
those privations which are the sailor’s lot through life. 







1771. 


JOINS HIS FIRST SHIP. 


19 


He accompanied his father to London. The Raison - 
nable was lying in the Medway. He was put into the 
Chatham stage, and on its arrival was set down with the 
rest of the passengers, and left to find his way on board 
as he could. After wandering about in the cold with¬ 
out being able to reach the ship, an officer observed the 
forlorn appearance of the boy; questioned him; and, 
happening to be acquainted with his uncle, took him 
home, and gave him some refreshments. When he 
got on board. Captain Suckling was not in the ship, nor 
had any person been apprised of the boy’s coming. He 
paced the deck the whole remainder of the day, without 
being noticed by any one; and it was not till the 
second day that somebody, as he expressed it, “took 
compassion on him.” The pain which is felt when we 
are first transplanted from our native soil, when the 
living branch is cut from the parent tree, is one of 
the most poignant which we have to endure through 
life. There are after-giiefs which wound more deeply, 
which leave behind them scars never to be effaced, 
which bruise the spirit, mid sometimes break the heart: 
but never do we fee] so keenly the want of love, the 
necessity of being loved, and the sense of utter deser¬ 
tion, as when we fiist leave the haven of home, and 
are, as it were, pushed off upon the stream of life. 
Added to these feelings, the sea-boy has to endure 
physical hardships, and the privation of every comfort 
even of sleep. Nelson had a feeble body and an affec¬ 
tionate heart, and he remembered through life his first 
days of wretchedness in the service. 

The Raisonnable having been commissioned on 
account of the dispute respecting the Falkland Islands, 







20 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1772. 


was paid off as soon as that difference with the court of 
Spain was accommodated, and Captain Suckling was 
removed to the Triumph, seventy-four, then stationed 
as a guardship in the Thames. This was considered as 
too inactive a station for a hoy, and Nelson was there¬ 
fore sent a voyage to the West Indies in a merchant- 
ship, commanded by Mr. John Rathbone, an excellent 
seaman, who had served as master’s mate under Captain 
Suckling in the Dreadnought. He returned a practical 
seaman, but with a hatred of the king’s service, and a 
saying then common among the sailors—“Aft the 
most honour, forward the better man.” Rathbone had 
probably been disappointed and disgusted in the navy; 
and, with no unfriendly intentions, warned Nelson 
against a profession which he himself had found hope¬ 
less. His uncle received him on board the Triumph 
on his return; and discovering his dislike to the navy, 
took the best means of reconciling him to it. He held 
it out as a reward, that if he attended well to his navi¬ 
gation he should go in the cutter and decked long¬ 
boat which was attached to the commanding officer’s 
ship at Chatham. Thus he became a good pilot for 
vessels of that description, from Chatham to the Tower, 
and down the Swin Channel to the North Foreland, 
and acquired a confidence among rocks and sands, of 
which he often felt the value. 

Nelson had not been many months on board the 
Triumph when his love of enterprise was excited by 
hearing that two ships were fitting out for a voyage of 
discovery toward the North Pole. In consequence of 
the difficulties which were expected on such a service, 
these vessels were to take out effective men instead of 


1773 .' 


PROCEEDS TO THE NORTH POLE. 


21 


the usual number of boys. This, however, did not deter 
him from soliciting to be received, and by his uncle’s 
interest he was admitted as coxswain under Captain 
Lutwidge, second in command. The voyage was un¬ 
dertaken in compliance with an application from the 
Royal Society. The Hon. Captain Constantine John 
Phipps, eldest son of Lord Mulgrave, volunteered his 
services. The Racehorse and Carcass bombs were 
selected, as the strongest ships, and therefore best 
adapted for such a voyage; and they were taken into 
dock and strengthened, to render them as secure as 
possible against the ice. Two masters of Greenlandmen 
were employed as pilots for each ship. No expedition 
was ever more carefully fitted out; and the first lord 
of the Admiralty, Lord Sandwich, with a laudable soli¬ 
citude, went on board himself before their departure, to 
see that everything had been completed to the wish of 
the officers. The ships were provided with a simple 
and excellent apparatus for distilling fresh from salt 
water, the invention of Dr. Irving, who accompanied 
the expedition. It consisted merely of fitting a tube to 
the ship’s kettle, and applying a wet mop to the sur¬ 
face, as the vapour was passing. By these means, from 
thirty-four to forty gallons were produced every day. 

They sailed from the Nore on the 4th of June: on 
the 6th of the following month they were in latitude 
79° 56' 39"; longitude, 9° 43' 30" E. The next day, 
about the place where most of the old discoverers had 
been stopped, the Racehorse was beset with ice; but 
they hove her through with ice-anchors. Captain 
Phipps continued ranging along the ice northward and 
westward till the 24th; he then tried to the eastward 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1773. 


82 


On the 30th he was in latitude 80° 13', longitude, 18° 
48' E., among the islands and in the ice, with no ap¬ 
pearance of an opening for the ships. The weather 
was fine, mild, and unusually clear. Here they were 
becalmed in a large hay, with three apparent openings 
between the islands which formed it; but everywhere, 
as far as they could see, surrounded with ice. There 
was not a breath of air, the water was perfectly smooth, 
the ice covered with snow, low and even, except a few 
broken pieces near the edge; and the pools of water in 
the middle of the ice-fields just crusted over with young 
ice. On the next day the ice closed upon them, and 
no opening was to be seen anywhere, except a hole, or 
lake, as it might be called, of about a mile and a half 
in circumference, where the ships lay fast to the ice 
with their ice-anchors. They filled their casks with 
water from these ice-fields, which was very pure and 
soft. The men were playing on the ice all day; but 
the Greenland pilots, who were further than they had 
ever been before, and considered that the season was 
far advancing, were alarmed at being thus beset. 

The next day there was not the smallest opening, 
the ships were within less than two lengths of each 
other, separated by ice, and neither having room to turn. 
The ice, which the day before had been flat, and 
almost level with the water’s edge, was now in many 
places forced higher than the mainyard, by the pieces 
squeezing together. A day of thick fog followed: it 
was succeeded by clear weather, but the passage by 
which the ships had entered from the westward was 
closed, and no open water was in sight, either in that or 
any other quarter. By the pilots’ advice the men were 




17 / 0 . 


BECALMED IN THE ICE. 


23 


set to cut a passage, and warp through the small openings 
to the westward. They sawed through pieces of ice 
twelve leet thick; and this labour continued the whole 
day, during which their utmost efforts did not move 
the ships above three hundred yards; while they were 
driven together, with the ice, far to the N. E. and E 
by the current. Sometimes a field of several acres 
square would be lifted up between two larger islands, 
and incorporated with them; and thus these larger 
pieces continued to grow by aggregation. Another 
day passed, and there seemed no probability of getting 
the ships out, without a strong E. or N. E. wind. The 
season was far advanced, and every hour lessened the 
chance of extricating themselves. Young as he was, 
Nelson was appointed to command one of the boats 
which were sent out to explore a passage into the open 
water. It was the means of saving a boat belonging 
to the Racehorse from a singular but imminent danger. 
Some of the officers had fired at and wounded a walrus. 
As no other animal has so human-like an expression in 
its countenance, so also is there none that seems to pos¬ 
sess more of the passions of humanity. The wounded 
animal dived immediately, and brought up a number 
of its companions; and they all joined in an attack 
upon the boat. They wrested an oar from one of the 
men; and it was with the utmost difficulty that the 
crew could prevent them from staving or upsetting her, 
till the Carcass's boat came up: and the walruses, 
finding their enemies thus reinforced, dispersed. Young 
Nelson exposed himself in a more daring manner. One 
night, during the mid-watch, he stole from the ship 
with one of his comrades, taking advantage of a rising 




24 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1773. 


fog, and set out over the ice in pursuit of a bear. It 
was not long before they were missed. The fog thick¬ 
ened, and Captain Lutwidge and his officers became 
exceedingly alarmed for their safety. Between three 
and four in the morning the weather cleared, and the 
two adventurers were seen, at a considerable distance 
from the ship, attacking a huge bear. The signal for 
them to return was immediately made: Nelson’s com¬ 
rade called upon him to obey it, but in vain; his 
musket had flashed in the pan; their ammunition was 
expended; and a chasm in the ice, which divided him 
from the bear, probably preserved his life. “ Never 
mind,” he cried; “ do but let me get a blow at this 
devil with the butt-end of my musket, and we shall 
have him.” Captain Lutwidge, however, seeing his 
danger, fired a gun, which had the desired effect of 
frightening the beast; and the boy then returned, 
somewhat afraid of the consequences of his trespass. 
The captain reprimanded him sternly for conduct so 
unworthy of the office which he filled, and desired to 
know what motive he could have for hunting a bear. 
“Sir,” said K he, pouting his lip, as he was wont to do 
when agitated, “ I wished to kill the bear, that I might 
carry the skin to my father.” 

A party were now sent to an island, about twelve 
miles off (named Walden’s Island in the chart, from 
the midshipman who was intrusted with this service), 
to see where the open water lay. They came back with 
information that the ice, though close all about them, 
was open to the westward, round the point by which 
they came in. They said also, that upon the island 
they had had a fresh east wind. This intelligence 




Nelson encountering a Bear 


Page 24 








































1773. 


PREPARATIONS FOR ABANDONING THE SHIP. 


25 


considerably abated the hopes of the crew; for where 
they lay it had been almost calm, and their main de¬ 
pendence had been upon the effect of an easterly wind 
in clearing the bay. There was but one alternative, 
either to wait the event of the weather upon the ships, 
or to betake themselves to the boats. The likelihood 
that it might be necessary to sacrifice the ships had 
been foreseen; the boats, accordingly, were adapted, 
both in number and size, to transport, in case of emer¬ 
gency, the whole crew; and there were Dutch whalers 
upon the coast, in which they could all be conveyed to 
Europe. As for wintering where they were, that 
dreadful experiment had been already tried too often. 
No time was to be lost; the ships had driven into shoal 
water, having but fourteen fathoms. Should they, or 
the ice to which they were fast, take the ground, they 
must inevitably be lost: and at this time they were 
driving fast towards some rocks on the N.E. Captain 
Phipps had sent for the officers of both ships, and told 
them his intention of preparing the boats for going 
away. They were immediately hoisted out, and the 
fitting begun. Canvas bread-bags were made, in case 
it should be necessary suddenly to desert the vessels; 
and men were sent with the lead and line to the north¬ 
ward and eastward, to sound wherever they found cracks 
in the ice, that they might have notice before the ice 
took the ground; for, in that case, the ships must have 
instantly been crushed or overset. 

On the 7th of August they began to haul the boats 
over the ice. Nelson having command of the four-oared 
cutter. The men behaved excellently well, like true 

*j 

British seamen: they seemed reconciled to the thought 


26 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1773. 


of leaving the ships, and had full confidence in theii 
officers. About noon, the ice appeared rather more 
open near the vessels; and as the wind was easterly, 
though there was but little of it, the sails were set, and 
they got about a mile to the westward. They moved 
very slowly, and were not now nearly so far to the 



westward as when they were first beset. However, all 
sail was kept upon them, to force them through when¬ 
ever the ice slacked the least. Whatever exertions 
were made, it could not be possible to get the boats to 
the water’s edge before the 14th; and if the situation 
of the ships should not alter by that time, it would not 
be justifiable to stay longer by them. The commander 
therefore resolved to carry on both attempts together, 







1773 . 


THE SHIPS CLEAR THE ICE. 


21 


moving the boats constantly, and taking every oppor 
tunity of getting the ships through. A party was sent 
out next day to the westward, to examine the state of the 
ice: they returned with tidings that it was very heavy 
and close, consisting chiefly of large fields. The ships,* 
however, moved something, and the ice itself was drifting 
westward. There was a thick fog, so that it was im¬ 
possible to ascertain what advantage had been gained. 
It continued on the 9th; but the ships were moved a 
little through some very small openings: the mist 
cleared off in the afternoon ; and it was then perceived 
that they had driven much more than could have been 
expected to the westward, and that the ice itself had 
driven still farther. In the course of the day they 
got past the boats, and took them on board again. On 
the morrow the wind sprang up to the N. N. E. All 
sail was set, and the ships forced their way through a 
great deal of very heavy ice. They frequently struck, 
and with such force, that one stroke broke the shank of 
the Racehorse s best bower anchor: but the vessels 
made way; and by noon they had cleared the ice, and 
were out at sea. The next day they anchored in 
Smeerenberg Harbour, close to that island of which the 
westernmost point is called Hakluyt’s Headland, m 
honour of the great promoter and compiler of our 
English voyages of discovery. 

Here they remained for a few days, that the men 
might rest after their fatigue. No insect was to be 
seen in this dreary country, nor any species of reptile, 
not even the common earthworm. Large bodies of ice, 
called icebergs, filled up the valleys between high 
mountains, so dark, as, when contrasted with the snow, 


28 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1776 , 


to appear black. The colour of the ice was a lively 
light green. Opposite to the place where they had 
fixed their observatory was one of these icebergs, above 
three hundred feet high: its side towards the sea was 
nearly perpendicular, and a stream of water issued from 
it. Large pieces frequently broke off, and rolled down 
into the sea. There was no thunder nor lightning 
during the whole time they were in these latitudes. 
The sky was generally loaded with hard white clouds, 
from which it was never entirely free, even in the clear¬ 
est weather. They always knew when they were ap¬ 
proaching the ice, long before they saw it, by a bright 
appearance near the horizon, which the Grreenlandmen 
called the blink of the ice. The season was now so far 
advanced that nothing more could have been attempted, 
if, indeed, anything had been left untried: but the sum¬ 
mer had been unusually favourable, and they had care¬ 
fully surveyed the wall of ice extending for more than 
twenty degrees between the latitudes of 80° and 81°, 
without the smallest appearance of any opening. 

The ships were paid off shortly after their return to 
England; and Nelson was then placed by his uncle 
with Captain Farmer, in the Seahorse , of twenty guns, 
then going out to the East Indies in the squadron under 
Sir Edward Hughes. He was stationed in the foretop 
at watch and watch. His good conduct attracted the 
attention of the master (afterwards Captain Surridge), 
in whose watch he was; and, upon his recommendation, 
the captain rated him as midshipman. At this time his 
countenance was florid, and his appearance rather stout 
and athletic: but when he had been about eighteen 
months in India he felt the effects of that climate, sc 


/ 777. 


RETURNS FROM INDIA. 


29 


perilous to European constitutions. The disease baffled 
all power of medicine; he was reduced almost to a 
skeleton ; the use of his limbs was for some time entirely 
lost; and the only hope that remained was from a voy¬ 
age home. Accordingly he was brought home by Cap-- 
tain Pigot, in the Dolphin; and had it not been for the 
attentive and careful kindness of that officer on the 
way. Nelson would never have lived to reach his native 
shores. He had formed an acquaintance with Sir 
Charles Pole, Sir Thomas Troubridge, and other dis¬ 
tinguished officers, then, like himself, beginning their 
career: he had left them pursuing that career in full 
enjoyment of health and hope, and was returning from 
a country in which all things were to him new and 
interesting, with a body broken down by sickness, and 
spirits which had sunk with his strength. Long after¬ 
wards, when the name of Nelson was known as widely 
as that of England itself, he spoke of the feelings which 
he at this time endured. “ I felt impressed,” said he, 
“with a feeling that I should never rise in my pro¬ 
fession. My mind was staggered with a view of the 
difficulties I had to surmount, and the little interest I 
possessed. I could discover no means of reaching the 
object of my ambition. After a long and gloomy 
reverie, in which I almost wished myself overboard, a 
sudden glow of patriotism was kindled within me, and 
presented my king and country as my patron. 4 Well 
then,’ I exclaimed, 4 1 will be a hero ! and, confiding in 
Providence, brave every danger! ’” 

Long afterwards. Nelson loved to speak of the feel¬ 
ing of that moment: and from that time, he often said, 
a radiant orb was suspended in his mind’s eye, which 


30 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1777 . 


urged him onward to renown. The state of mind in 
which these feelings began, is what the mystics mean 
by their season of darkness and desertion. If the ani¬ 
mal spirits fail, they represent it as an actual temptation. 
The enthusiasm of Nelson’s nature had taken a different 
direction, but its essence was the same. He knew to 
what the previous state of dejection was to be attributed; 
that an enfeebled body, and a mind depressed, had cast 
this shade over his soul: but he always seemed willing 
to believe, that the sunshine which succeeded bore with 
it a prophetic glory, and that the light which led him 
on was “ light from heaven.” 

His interest, however, was far better than he ima¬ 
gined. During his absence Captain Suckling had been 
made Comptroller of the Navy; his health had materi¬ 
ally improved upon the voyage; and, as soon as the 
Dolphin was paid off, he was appointed acting lieu¬ 
tenant in the Worcester, sixty-four, Captain Mark 
Eobinson, then going out with convoy to Gibraltar. 
Soon after his return, on the 8th of April, 1777, he 
passed his examination for a lieutenancy. Captain Suck¬ 
ling sat at the head of the board; and when the exa¬ 
mination had ended, in a manner highly honourable to 
Nelson, rose from his seat, and introduced him to the 
examining captains as his nephew. They expressed 
their wonder that he had not informed them of this re¬ 
lationship before; he replied, that he did not wish the 
younker to be favoured; he knew his nephew would 
pass a good examination, and he had not been deceived. 

The next day Nelson received his commission as 
second lieutenant of the Lowestoffe frigate. Captain 
William Locker, then fitting out for Jamaica. 







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NlT.SON VOI.rNTRERS TO HOARD A PrTZF., 


















i778. 


CRUISES OFF THE WEST INDIA ISLANDS. 


31 


American and French privateers, under American 
colours, were at that time harassing our trade in the 
West Indies : even a frigate was not sufficiently active 
for Nelson, and he repeatedly got appointed to the com¬ 
mand of one of the Loivestoffe's tenders. During one 
of their cruises the Loivestoffe captured an American 
letter-of-marque : it was blowing a gale, and a heavy 
sea running. The first lieutenant being ordered to 
board the prize, went below to put on his hanger. It 
happened to be mislaid; and, while he was seeking it. 
Captain Locker came on deck. Perceiving the boat 
still alongside, and in danger every moment of being 
swamped, and being extremely anxious that the priva¬ 
teer should be instantly taken in charge, because he 
feared that it would otherwise founder, he exclaimed, 
“Have I no officer in the ship who can board the 
prize?” Nelson did not offer himself immediately, 
waiting, with his usual sense of propriety, for the first 
lieutenant’s return: but hearing the master volunteer, 
he jumped into the boat, saying, “ It is my turn now; 
and if I come back, it is yours.” The American, who 
had carried a heavy press of sail in hope of escaping, 
was so completely water-logged, that the Lowestoffe's 
boat went in on deck, and out again, with the sea. 

About this time he lost his uncle. Captain Locker, 
however, who had perceived the excellent qualities of 
Nelson, and formed a friendship for him, which con¬ 
tinued during his life, recommended him warmly to 
Sir Peter Parker, then commander-in-chief upon that 
station. In consequence of this recommendation he 
was removed into the Bristol flag-ship, and Lieutenant 
Cuthbert Collingwood succeeded him in the Lowestoffe 


32 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1779 . 


He soon became first lieutenant; and, on the 8th of 
December, 1778, was appointed commander of the 
Badger brig; Collingwood again succeeding him in the 
Bristol. While the Badger was lying in Montego Bay, 
Jamaica, the Glasgoiv, of twenty guns, came in and 
anchored there, and in two hours was in flames, the 
steward having set fire to her while stealing rum out of 
the after-hold. Her crew were leaping into the water, 
when Nelson came up in his boats, made them throw 
their powder overboard, and point their guns upward : 
and, by his presence of mind and personal exertions, 
prevented the loss of life which would otherwise have 
ensued. On the 11th of June, 1779, he was made post 
into the Hinchinbrook, of twenty-eight guns, an enemy’s 
merchantman, sheathed with wood, which had been 
taken into the service. A short time after he left the 
Lowestoffe , that ship, with a small squadron, stormed 
the fort of St. Fernando de Omoa, on the south side of 
the Bay of Honduras, and captured some register ships 
which were lying under its guns. Two hundred and 
fifty quintals of quicksilver, and three millions of 
piastres, were the reward of this enterprise : and it is 
characteristic of Nelson, that the chance by which he 
missed a share in such a prize is never mentioned in 
any of his letters; nor is it likely that it ever excited 
even a momentary feeling of vexation. 

Nelson was fortunate in possessing good interest at 
the time when it could be most serviceable to him: his 
promotion had been almost as rapid as it could be ; and 
before he had attained the age of twenty-one, he had 
gained that rank which brought all the honours of the 
service within his reach. No opportunity, indeed, had 


1779 . 


THE EXPEDITION AGAINST SAN JUAN. 


on 

») U 


yet been given him of distinguishing himself; but he 
was thoroughly master of his profession, and his zeal 
and ability were acknowledged wherever he was known. 
Count d’Estaing, with a fleet of one hundred and twenty- 
five sail, men-of war and transports, and a reputed force 
of five-and-twenty thousand men, threatened Jamaica 
from St. Domingo. Nelson offered his services to the 
Admiral and to Governor-general Dalling, and wa^ 
appointed to command the batteries of Fort Charles at 
Port Royal. Not more than seven thousand men could 
be mustered for the defence of the island,— a number 
wholly inadequate to resist the force which threatened 
them. Of this Nelson was so well aware, that when he 
wrote to his friends in England, he told them they must 
not be surprised to hear of his learning to speak French. 
D’Estaing, however, was either not aware of his own 
superiority, or not equal to the command with which 
he was intrusted: he attempted nothing with this for¬ 
midable armament; and General Dalling was thus left 
to execute a project which he had formed against the 
Spanish colonies. 

This project wa&, to take Fort San Juan, on the river 
of that name, which flows from Lake Nicaragua into the 
Atlantic; make himself master of the lake itself, and of 
the cities of Grenada and Leon; and thus cut off the 

1 communication of the Spaniards between their northern 
and southern possessions in America. Here it is that a 
canal between the two seas may most easily be formed i 
—a work more important in its consequences than any 
which has ever yet been effected by human power. Lord 
George Germaine, at that time secretary of state for the 
American department, approved the plan: and as dis- 

D 






34 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1780. 


contents at that time were known to prevail in the Nuevo 
Reyno, in Popayan, and in Peru, the more sanguine part 
of the English began to dream of acquiring an empire in 
one part of America more extensive than that which 
they were on the point of losing in another. Gene:al 
Dalling’s plans were well formed; but the history and 
the nature of the country had not been studied as accu¬ 
rately as its geography: the difficulties which occurred 
in fitting out the expedition delayed it till the season 
was too far advanced; and the men were thus sent to 
adventure themselves, not so much against an enemy, 
whom they would have beaten, as against a climate 
which would do the enemy’s work. 

Early in the year 1780, five hundred men, destined 
for this service, were convoyed by Nelson from Port Royal 
to Cape Gracias a Dios, in Honduras. Not a native 
was to be seen when they landed: they had been taught 
that the English came with no other intent than that 
of enslaving them, and sending them to Jamaica. After 
a while, however, one of them ventured down, confiding 
in his knowledge of one of the party; and by his means 
the neighbouring tribes were conciliated with presents, 
and brought in. The troops were encamped on a 
swampy and unwholesome plain, where they were joined 
by a party of the 79th Regiment, from Black River, 
who were already in a deplorable state of sickness. 
Having remained here a month, they proceeded, an¬ 
choring frequently, along the Mosquito shore to collect 
their Indian allies, who were to furnish proper boats 
for the river, and to accompany them. They reached 
the river San Juan March 24th: and here, according 
to his orders, Nelson’s services were to terminate; but 


1780. 


INCIDENTS OF THE SIEGE. 


35 


not a man in the expedition had ever been up the 
river, or knew the distances of any fortification from 
its mouth: and he, not being one who would turn back 
when so much was to be done, resolved to carry the 
soldiers up. About two hundred, therefore, were em¬ 
barked in the Mosquito shore-craft, and in two of the 
Hinchinbrook’s boats, and they began their voyage. 
It was the latter end of the dry season, the worst time 
for such an expedition; the river was consequently low: 
Indians were sent forward through narrow channels 
between shoals and banks, and the men were frequently 
obliged to quit the boats, and exert their utmost strength 
to drag or thrust them along. This labour continued 
for several days, when they came into deeper water; 
they had then currents and rapids to contend with, 
which would have been insurmountable, but for the 
skill of the Indians in such difficulties. The brunt of 
the labour was borne by them and by the sailors—men 
never accustomed to stand aloof when any exertion of 
strength or hardihood is required. The soldiers, less 
accustomed to rely upon themselves, were of little use. 
But all equally endured the violent heat of the sun, 
rendered more intense by being reflected from the 
white shoals, while the high woods on both sides of the 
river were frequently so close as to prevent all refresh¬ 
ing circulation of air; and during the night all were 
equally exposed to the heavy and unwholesome dews. 

On the 9th of April they reached an island in the 
river called San Bartolomeo, which the Spaniards had 
fortified, as an out-post, with a small semi-circular 
battery, mounting nine or ten swivels, and manned 
with sixteen or eighteen men. It commanded the river 




3G 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1780. 


in a rapid and difficult part of the navigation. Nelson, 
at the head of a few of his seamen, leaped upon the 
beach. The ground upon which he sprung was so 
muddy, that he had some difficulty in extricating him¬ 
self, and lost his shoes: bare-footed, however, he ad¬ 
vanced, and, in his own phrase, boarded the battery. In 
this resolute attempt he was bravely supported by the 
well-known Despard,* at that time a captain in the army. 
The castle of San Juan is situated about sixteen miles 
higher up: the stores and ammunition, however, were 
landed a few miles below the castle, and the men had 
to march through woods almost impassable. One of 
the men was bitten under the eye by a snake, which 
darted upon him from the bough of a tree. He was 
unable to proceed from the violence of the pain: and 
when, after a short while, some of his comrades were 
sent back to assist him, he was dead, and the body 
already putrid. Nelson himself narrowly escaped a 
similar fate. He had ordered his hammock to be 
slung under some trees, being excessively fatigued, and 
was sleeping, when a monitory lizard passed across his 
face. The Indians happily observed the reptile, and, 
knowing what it indicated, awoke him. He started up, 
and found one of the deadliest serpents of the country 
coiled up at his feet. He suffered from poison of 
another kind; for, drinking at a spring in which some 
boughs of the manchineel had been thrown, the effects 
were so severe, as, in the opinion of some of his friends, 
to inflict a lasting injury upon his constitution. 

* Captain, afterwards Colonel Despard, who was executed with his 
.reasonable associates at Horsernonger Lane Jail, for conspiring to 
take the life of George III. as he proceeded to open the session of 
parliament. 


1781. 


IS ATTACKED WITH DYSENTERY. 


37 


The castle of San Juan is thirty-two miles below 
the Lake of Nicaragua, from which the river issues, and 
sixty-nine from its mouth. Boats reach the sea from 
thence in a day and a half; but their navigation back, 
even when unladen, is the labour of nine days. The 
English appeared before it on the 11th, two days after 
they had taken San Bartolomeo. Nelson’s advice was, 
that it should instantly be carried by assault: but Nelson 
was not the commander; and it was thought proper to 
observe all the formalities of a siege. Ten days were 
wasted before this could be commenced: it was a work 
more of fatigue than of danger; but fatigue was more 
to be dreaded than the enemy; the rains set in: and, 
could the garrison have held out a little longer, disease 
would have rid them of their invaders. Even the 
Indians sunk under it, the victims of unusual exertion, 
and of their own excesses. The place surrendered on 
the 24th. But victory procured to the conquerors none 
of that relief which had been expected; the castle was 
worse than a prison; and it contained nothing which 
could contribute to the recovery of the sick, or the 
preservation of those who were yet unaffected. The 
huts, which served for hospitals, were surrounded with 
filth and with the putrefying hides of slaughtered cattle 
—almost sufficient of themselves to have engendered 
pestilence: and when, at last, orders were given to 
erect a convenient hospital, the contagion had become 
so general, that there were none who could work at it; 
for, besides the few who were able to perform garrison 
duty, there were not orderly men enough to assist the 
sick. Added to these evils, there was the want of all 
needful remedies; for, though the expedition had been 


J8 LIFE OF NELSON 1731. 

amply provided with hospital stores, river craft enough 
had not been procured for transporting the requisite 
baggage; and when much was to be left behind, pro¬ 
vision for sickness was that which of all things men in 
health would be most ready to leave. Now, when 
these medicines were required, the river was swollen, and 
so turbulent, that its upward navigation was almost im¬ 
practicable. At length, even the task of burying the 
dead was more than the living could perform, and the 
bodies were tossed into the stream, or left for beasts of 
prey, and for the gallinazos—those dreadful carrion- 
birds, which do not always wait for death before they 
begin their work. Five months the English persisted 
in what may be called this war against nature; they 
then left a few men, who seemed proof against the cli¬ 
mate, to retain the castle till the Spaniards should 
choose to retake it, and make them prisoners. The 
rest abandoned their baleful conquest. Eighteen hun¬ 
dred men were sent to different posts upon this 
wretched expedition : not more than three hundred and 
eighty ever returned. The Hinchinbrook's comple¬ 
ment consisted of two hundred men; eighty-seven took 
to their beds in one night, and of the whole crew not 
more than ten survived. 

Nelson himself was saved by a timely removal. In 
a few days after the commencement of the siege, he was 
seized with the prevailing dysentery: meantime Captain 
Glover (son of the author of “ Leonidas”) died, and 
Nelson was appointed to succeed him in the Janus , of 
forty-four guns. He returned to the harbour the day 
before San Juan surrendered, and immediately sailed 
for Jamaica in the sloop which brought the news of his 


( 781 . 


APPOINTED TO THE ALBEMARLE, 


39 


appointment. He was, however, so greatly reduced by 
the disorder, that when they reached Port Poyal he was 
carried ashore in his cot; and finding himself, after a 
partial amendment, unable to retain the command of 
his new ship, he was compelled to ask leave to return to 
England, as the only means of recovery. Captain (af¬ 
terwards Admiral) Cornwallis took him home in the 
Lion; and to his care and kindness Nelson believed 
himself indebted for his life. He went immediately 
to Bath, in a miserable state : so helpless, that he was 
carried to and from his bed ; and the act of moving him 
produced the most violent pain. In three months he 
recovered, and immediately hastened to London, and 
applied for employment. After an interval of about 
four months he was appointed to the Albemarle, of 
twenty-eight guns, a French merchantman, which had 
been purchased from the captors for the king’s service. 

His health was not yet thoroughly re-established; 
and while he was employed in getting his ship ready, he 
again became so ill as hardly to be able to keep out of 
bed. Yet in this state, still suffering from the fatal 
effect of a West Indian climate, as if it might almost 
be supposed, he said, to try his constitution, he was 
sent to the North Seas, and kept there the whole winter. 
The asperity with which he mentioned this so many 
years afterwards, evinces how deeply he resented a mode 
of conduct equally cruel to the individual and detrimen¬ 
tal to the service. It was during the armed neutrality; 
and when they anchored off Elsineur, the Danish ad¬ 
miral sent on board, desiring to be informed what ships 
had arrived, and to have their force written down. 
“ The AIbcmarle” said Nelson to the messenger, “is 


40 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1782, 


one of his Britannic Majesty’s ships: you are at liberty, 
sir, to count the guns as you go down the side; and you 
may assure the Danish admiral, that, if necessary, they 
shall all be well served.” During this voyage he gained 
a considerable knowledge of the Danish coast, and its 
soundings: greatly to the advantage of his country in 
after-times. The Albemarle was not a good ship, and 
was several times nearly overset, in consequence of the 
masts having been made much too long for her. On 
her return to England they were shortened, and some 
other improvements made, at Nelson’s suggestion. 
Still he always insisted that her first owners, the 
French, had taught her to run away, as she was 
never a good sailer, except when going directly before 
the wind. 

On their return to the Downs, while he was ashore 
visiting the senior officer, there came on so heavy a gale 
that almost all the vessels drove, and a store-ship came 
athwart-hawse of the Albemarle. Nelson feared she 
would drive on the Goodwin Sands: he ran to the beach ; 
but even the Deal boatmen thought it impossible to get 
on board, such was the violence of the storm. At 
length some of the most intrepid offered to make the 
attempt for fifteen guineas: and, to the astonishment 
and fear of all the beholders, he embarked during the 
height of the tempest. With great difficulty and immi¬ 
nent danger he succeeded in reaching her. She lost 
her bowsprit and foremast, but escaped further injury. 
He was now ordered to Quebec; where, his surgeon told 
him, he would certainly be laid up by the climate. 
Many of his friends urged him to represent this to 
Admiial Keppel; but, having received his orders from 



Nelson put on hoard his Ship duking a Storm. 


Page 4 c. 









1782 ESCAPES PROM A FRENCH SQUADRON. 41 

Lord Sandwich, there appeared to him an indelicacy 
in applying to his successor to have them altered. 

Accordingly he sailed for Canada. During her first 
cruise on that station, the Albemarle captured a fishing 
schooner, which contained, in her cargo, nearly all the 
property that her master possessed, and the poor fellow 
had a large family at home, anxiously expecting him. 
Nelson employed him as a pilot in Boston Bay, then 
restored him the schooner and cargo, and gave him a 
certificate to secure him against being captured by 
any other vessel. The man came off afterwards to the 
Albemarle , at the hazard of his life, with a present of 
sheep, poultry, and fresh provisions. A most valuable 
supply it proved; for the scurvy was raging on board : 
this was in the middle of August, and the ship’s com¬ 
pany had not had a fresh meal since the beginning of 
April. The certificate was preserved at Boston in 
memory of an act of unusual generosity ; and now that 
the fame of Nelson has given interest to everything 
connected with his name, it is regarded as a relic. The 
Albemarle had a narrow escape upon this cruise. Four 
French sail of the line and a frigate, which had come 
out of Boston Harbour, gave chase to her; and Nelson, 
perceiving that they beat him in sailing, boldly ran 
among the numerous shoals of St. George’s Bank, con¬ 
fiding in his own skill in pilotage. Captain Salter, in 
the Sta. Margaretta , had escaped the French fleet, by a 
similar manoeuvre, not long before. The frigate alone 
continued warily to pursue him; but as soon as he per¬ 
ceived that his enemy was unsupported he shortened 
sail, and hove-to: upon which the Frenchman thought 


42 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1782. 


it advisable to give over the pursuit, and sail in quest of 
his consorts. 

At Quebec, Nelson became acquainted with Alex¬ 
ander Davison ; by whose interference he was prevented 
from making what would have been called an imprudent 
marriage. The Albemarle was about to leave the sta¬ 
tion, her captain had taken leave of his friends, and 
was gone down the river to the place of anchorage: 
when, the next morning, as Davison was walking on the 
beach, to his surprise he saw Nelson coming back in his 
boat. Upon inquiring the cause of this re-appearance, 
Nelson took his arm, to walk towards the town, and 
told him he found it utterly impossible to leave Quebec 
without again seeing the woman whose society had con¬ 
tributed so much to his happiness there, and offering 
her his hand. “If you do,” said his friend, “your 
utter ruin must inevitably follow.” “ Then let it fol¬ 
low,” cried Nelson, “ for I am resolved to do it.” “ And 
I,” replied Davison, “ am resolved you shall not.” Nel¬ 
son, however, upon this occasion, was less resolute than 
his friend, and suffered himself to be led back to the 
boat. 

The Albemarle was under orders to convoy a fleet 
of transports to New York. “A very pretty job,” said 
her captain, “ at this late season of the year” (October 
was far advanced), “ for our sails are at this moment 
frozen to the yards.” On his arrival at Sandy Hook, 
he waited on the commander-in-chief. Admiral Digby, 
who told him he was come on a fine station for making 
prize-money. “ Yes, sir,” Nelson made answer; “ but 
the West Indies is the station for honour.” Lord Hood, 


1783. 


HIS PERSONAL APPEARANCE. 


43 


with a detachment of Bodney’s victorious fleet, was at 
that time in Sandy Hook: he had been intimate with 
Captain Suckling; and Nelson, who was desirous of 
nothing but honour, requested him to ask for the Albe¬ 
marle, that he might go to that station where it was 
most likely to be obtained. Admiral Digby reluctantly 
parted with him. His professional merit was already 
well known: and Lord Hood, on introducing him to 
Prince William Henry, as the Duke of Clarence was 
then called, told the prince, if he wished to ask any 
question respecting naval tactics. Captain Nelson could 
give him as much information as any officer in the fleet. 
The duke, who, to his own honour, became from that 
time the firm friend of Nelson, describes him as appear¬ 
ing the merest boy of a captain he had ever seen, 
dressed in a full-lace uniform, an old-fashioned waist¬ 
coat with long flaps, and his lank unpowdered hair tied 
in a stiff Hessian tail of extraordinary length; making 
altogether so remarkable a figure, “ that,” says the duke, 
i( I had never seen anything like it before, nor could I 
imagine who he was, nor what he came about. But 
his address and conversation were irresistibly pleasing; 
and when he spoke on professional subjects, it was with 
an enthusiasm that showed he was no common being.” 

It was expected that the French would attempt 
some of the passages between the Bahamas : and Lord 
Hood, thinking of this, said to Nelson, “ I suppose, sir, 
from the length of time you were cruising among the 
Bahama Keys, you must be a good pilot there ? ” He 
replied, with that constant readiness to render justice to 
every man, which was so conspicuous in all his conduct 
through life, that he was well acquainted with them 


44 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1783 


himself, but that in that respect his second lieutenant 
was far his superior. The French got into Puerto 
Cabello on the coast of Venezuela. Nelson was cruising 
between that port and La Gruayra, under French colours, 
for the purpose of obtaining information, when a king's 
launch, belonging to the Spaniards, passed near, and 
being hailed in French, came alongside without suspi¬ 
cion, and answered all questions that were asked con¬ 
cerning the number and force of the enemy’s ships. 
The crew, however, were not a little surprised when 
they were taken on board, and found themselves pri¬ 
soners. One of the party went by the name of the 
Count de Deux Ponts. He was, however, a prince of 
the Grerman empire, and brother to the heir of the 
Electorate of Bavaria: his companions were French 
officers of distinction, and men of science, who had been 
collecting specimens in the various branches of natural 
history. Nelson, having entertained them with the best 
his table could afford, told them they were at liberty to 
depart with their boat and all that it contained : he 
only required them to promise that they would consider 
themselves as prisoners, if the commander-in-chief 
should refuse to acquiesce in their being thus liberated : 
a circumstance which was not by any means likely to 
happen. Tidings soon arrived that the preliminaries of 
peace had been signed; and the Albemarle returned to 
England, and was paid off. Nelson’s first business, 
after he got to London, even before he went to see his 
relations, was to attempt to get the wages due to his 
men, for the various ships in which they had served 
during the war. “ The disgust of seamen to the navy,” 
he said, “ was all owing to the infernal plan of turning 


1783. 


IS PRESENTED AT COURT. 


45 


them over from ship to ship; so that men could not be 
attached to the officers, nor the officers care the least 
about the men.” Yet he himself was so beloved by 
his men, that his whole ship’s company offered, if he 
could get a ship, to enter for her immediately. He 
was now, for the first time, presented at court. After 
going through this ceremony, he dined with his friend 
Davison, at Lincoln’s Inn. As soon as he entered the 
chambers he threw off what he called his iron-bound 
coat, and putting himself at ease in a dressing-gown, 
passed the remainder of the day m talking over all that- 
had befallen them since they parted on the shore of the 
River St. Lawrence. 



















CONTENTS OF CHAPTER II. 


Nelson goes to France during the Peace—Forms a second 
Attachment—Is re-appointed to the Boreas —Goes to the West 
Indies—His kindness to his Midshipmen—Has a Dispute with 
Admiral Hughes—Chases a French Frigate—Enforces the Navi¬ 
gation Act — Meets with Opposition from the West Indians — 
Seizes four American Vessels—Is prosecuted by the Captains— 
Marries the Widow of Dr. Nisbet—Exposes the Conduct of the 
Navy Contractors—Returns to England—His Reception—Is on 
the point of quitting the Service in disgust—His manner of Life 
while at Home—Is threatened with a new Prosecution—Applies 
for Active Employment—Appointed to the Agamemnon on tho 
breaking out of the War of the French Revolution. 






















“ I have closed the war,” said Nelson, in one of his 
letters, “ without a fortune; but there is not a speck in 
my character. True honour, I hope, predominates in 
my mind far above riches.” He did not apply for a 
ship, because he was not wealthy enough to live on 
board in the manner which was then become customary. 
Finding it, therefore, prudent to economise to his half¬ 
pay during the peace, he went to France, in company 
with Captain Macnamara, of the navy, and took lodgings 
at St. Omer’s, The death of his favourite sister, Anne, 
who died in consequence of going out of the ball-room, 
at Bath, when heated with dancing, affected his father 
so much, that it had nearly occasioned him to return in 
a few weeks. Time, however, and reason and religion, 
overcame this grief in the old man; and Nelson con¬ 
tinued at St. Omer’s long enough to fall in love with the 

E 


CHAPTER II. 




50 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1784. 


daughter of an English clergyman. This second at¬ 
tachment appears to have been less ardent than the first; 
for, upon weighing the evils of a straitened income to a 
married man, he thought it better to leave France, 
assigning to his friends something in his accounts as the 
cause. This prevented him from accepting an invitation 
from the Count of Deux Ponts to visit him at Paris, 
couched in the handsomest terms of acknowledgment 
for the treatment which he had received on board the 
Albemarle. 

The self-constraint which Nelson exerted in subduing 
this attachment, made him naturally desire to be at sea: 
and when, upon visiting Lord Howe at the Admiralty, 
he was asked if he wished to be employed, he made 
answer, that he did. Accordingly, in March, he was 
appointed to the Boreas, twenty-eight guns, going to 
the Leeward Islands, as a cruiser, on the peace esta¬ 
blishment. Lady Hughes and her family went out 
with him to Admiral Sir Richard Hughes, who com¬ 
manded on that station. His ship was full of young 
midshipmen, of whom there were not less than thirty on 
board: and happy were they whose lot it was to be 
placed with such a captain. If he perceived that a boy 
was afraid at first going aloft, he would say to him, in a 
friendly manner : “ Well, sir, I am going a race to the 
mast-head, and beg that I may meet you there.” The 
poor little fellow instantly began to climb, and got up 
how he could,—Nelson never noticed in what manner, 
but, when they met in the top, spoke cheerfully to him; 
and would say, how much any person was to be pitied 
who fancied that getting up was either dangerous or 
difficult. Every day he went into the school-room, to 








1784. 


HIS KINDNESS TO HIS MIDSHIPMEN. 


51 



A RACE TO THE MAST-HEAD. 


see that they were pursuing their nautical studies; and 
at noon he was always the first on deck with his 
quadrant. Whenever he paid a visit of ceremony, some 
of these youths accompanied him: and when he went to 
dine with the Governor of Barbadoes he took one of 
them in his hand, and presented him, saying, “ Your 
Excellency must excuse me for bringing one of my mid¬ 
shipmen. I make it a rule to introduce them to all the 









52 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1784 


good company I can, as they nave few to look up to, 
besides myself, during the time they are at sea.” 

When Nelson arrived in the West Indies he found 
himself senior captain, and consequently second in 
command on that station. Satisfactory as this was, it 
soon involved him in a dispute with the admiral, which 
a man less zealous for the service might have avoided. 
He found the Latona in English Harbour, Antigua, 
with a broad pendant hoisted ; and, upon inquiring the 
reason, was presented with a written order from Sir R. 
Hughes, requiring and directing him to obey the orders 
of Resident Commissioner Moutray, during the time he 
might have occasion to remain there; the said resident 
commissioner being, in consequence, authorised to hoist 
a broad pendant on board any of his Majesty’s ships in 
that port that he might think proper. Nelson was never 
at a loss how to act in any emergency. “ I know of no 
superior officers,” said he, “ besides the Lords Commis¬ 
sioners of the Admiralty and my seniors on the post list.” 
Concluding, therefore, that it was not consistent with 
the service for a resident commissioner, who held only 
a civil situation, to hoist a broad pendant, the moment 
that he had anchored he sent an order to the captain of 
the Latona to strike it, and return it to the dock-yard. 
He went on shore the same day, dined with the com¬ 
missioner, to show him that he was actuated by no 
other motive than a sense of duty, and gave him the 
first intelligence that his pendant had been struck.- 
Sir Richard sent an account of this to the Admiralty; 
but the case could admit of no doubt, and Captain 
Nelson's conduct was approved. 

He displayed the same promptitude on another 





1784. 


CHASES A FRENCH FRIGATE. 


53 


occasion. While the Boreas, after the hurricane months 
were over, was riding at anchor in Nevis Roads, a French 
frigate passed to leeward, close along shore. Nelson 
had obtained information that this ship was sent from 
Martinico, with two general officers and some engineers 
on board, to make a survey of our sugar islands. This 
purpose he was determined to prevent them from exe¬ 
cuting, and therefore he gave orders to follow them. 
The next day he came up with them at anchor in the 
roads of St. Eustatia, and anchored at about two cables’ 
length on the frigate’s quarter. Being afterwards in¬ 
vited by the Dutch governor to meet the French officers 
at dinner, he seized that occasion of assuring the French 
captain, that understanding it was his intention to 
honour the British possessions with a visit, he had 
taken the earliest opportunity in his power to accom¬ 
pany him, in his Majesty’s ship the Boreas, in order 
that such attention might be paid to the officers of his 
Most Christian Majesty as every Englishman in the 
islands would be proud to show. The French, with 
equal courtesy, protested against giving him this trouble; 
especially, they said, as they intended merely to cruise 
round the islands, without landing on any. But 
Nelson, with the utmost politeness, insisted upon paying 
them this compliment, followed them close, in spite of 
all their attempts to elude his vigilance, and never lost 
sight of them till, finding it impossible either to deceive 
or escape him, they gave up their treacherous purpose 
in despair, and beat up for Martinico. 

A business of more serious import soon engaged his 
attention. The Americans were at this time trading 
with our islands, taking advantage of the register of 


54 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1784. 


their ships, which had been issued while they were 
British subjects. Nelson knew that, by the Navigation 
Act, no foreigners, directly or indirectly, are permitted 
to carry on any trade with these possessions: he knew, 
also, that the Americans had made themselves foreigners 
with regard to England; they had broken the ties of 
blood and language, and acquired the independence 
which they had been provoked to claim, unhappily for 
themselves, before they were fit for it; and he was 
resolved that they should derive no profit from those 
ties. Foreigners they had made themselves, and as 
foreigners they were to be treated. “ If once,” said 
he, “ they are admitted to any kind of intercourse with 
our islands, the views of the Loyalists, in settling at 
Nova Scotia, are entirely done away; and when we are 
again embroiled in a French war, the Americans will 
first become the carriers of these colonies, and then 
have possession of them. Here they come, sell their 
cargoes for ready money, go to Martinico, buy molasses, 
and so round and round. The Loyalist cannot do this, 
and consequently must sell a little dearer. The resi¬ 
dents here are Americans by connexion and by interest, 
and are inimical to Great Britain. They are as great- 
rebels as ever were in America, had they the power to 
show it.” In November, when the squadron, having 
arrived at Barbadoes, was to separate, with no other 
orders than those for examining anchorages, and the 
usual inquiries concerning wood and water, Nelson asked 
his friend Collingwood, thfen captain of the Mediator , 
whose opinions he knew upon the subject, to accompany 
him to the commander-in-chief, whom he then respect¬ 
fully asked, whether they were not to attend to the 




1785. 


ENFORCES THE NAVIGATION ACT. 


55 


commerce of the country, and see that the Navigation 
Act was respected—that appearing to him to be the 
intent of keeping men of war upon this station in time 
of peace? Sir Richard Hughes replied, he had no 
particular orders, neither had the Admiralty sent him 
any acts of parliament. But Nelson made answer, 
that the Navigation Act was included in the statutes of 
the Admiralty, with which every captain was furnished, 
and that Act was directed to admirals, captains, &c., to 
see it carried into execution. Sir Richard said, he had 
never seen the book. Upon this Nelson produced the 
statutes, read the words of the Act, and apparently con¬ 
vinced the commander-in-chief, that men-of-war, as he 
said, “ were sent abroad for some other purpose than to 
be made a show of.” Accordingly, orders were given 
to enforce the Navigation Act. 

General Sir Thomas Shirley was at this time go¬ 
vernor of the Leeward Islands; and when Nelson waited 
on him to inform him how he intended to act, and upon 
what grounds, he replied, that “ Old generals were not 
in the habit of taking advice from young gentlemen.” 
(e Sir,” said the young officer, with that confidence in 
himself which never carried him too far, and always 
was equal to the occasion, “ I am as old as the prime 
minister of England, and think myself as capable of 
commanding one of his Majesty’s ships as that minister 
is of governing the state.” He was resolved to do his 
duty, whatever might be the opinion or conduct of 
others; and when he arrived upon his station at St. 
Kitt’s, he'sent away all the Americans, not choosing to 
seize them before they had been well apprised that the 
Act would be carried into effect, lest it might seem a3 


56 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1785 


« 




if a trap had been laid for them. The Americans, 
though they prudently decamped from St. Kitt’s, were 
emboldened by the support they met with, and resolved 
to resist his orders, alleging that the king’s ships had no 
legal power to seize them without having deputations 
from the Customs. The planters were to a man against 
him; the governors and the presidents of the different 
islands, with only a single exception, gave him no sup¬ 
port ; and the admiral, afraid to act on either side, yet 
wishing to oblige the planters, sent him a note, advising 
him to be guided by the wishes of the President of the 
Council. There was no danger in disregarding this, as 
it came unofficially, and in the form of advice. But 
scarcely a month after he had shown Sir Richard Hughes 
the law, and, as he supposed, satisfied him concerning it, 
he received an order from him, stating that he had now 
obtained good advice upon the point, and the Americans 
were not to be hindered from coming, and having free 
egress and regress, if the governor chose to permit them. 
An order to the same purport had been sent round to 
the different governors and presidents; and Gfeneral 
Shirley and others informed him, in an authoritative 
manner, that they chose to admit American ships, as 
the commander-in-chief had left the decision to them. 
These persons, in his own words, he soon “ trimmed up, 
and silenced;” but it was a more delicate business to 
deal with the admiral. “I must either,” said he, 
“ disobey my orders, or disobey acts of parliament. I 
determined upon the former, trusting to the upright¬ 
ness of my intentions, and believing that nay country 
would not let me be ruined for protecting her com¬ 
merce.” With this determination he wrote to Sir 





1785. 


SEIZES FOUR AMERICAN SHIPS. 


57 


Richard, appealed again to the plain, literal, unequi¬ 
vocal sense of the Navigation Act, and in respectful 
language told him, he felt it his duty to decline obeying 
these orders till he had an opportunity of seeing and 
conversing with him. Sir Richard’s first feeling was 
that of anger, and he was about to supersede Nelson; 
but having mentioned the affair to his captain, that 
officer told him he believed all the squadron thought 
the orders illegal, and therefore did not know how far 
they were bound to obey them. It was impossible, 
therefore, to bring Nelson to a court-martial, composed 
of men who agreed with him in opinion upon the point 
in dispute; and luckily, though the admiral wanted 
vigour of mind to decide upon what was right, he was 
not obstinate in wrong, and had even generosity enough 
in his nature to thank Nelson afterwards for having 
shown him his error. 

Collingwood, in the Mediator , and his brother, 
Winefred Collingwood, in the Rattler, actively co-ope¬ 
rated with Nelson. The custom-houses were informed, 
that after a certain day all foreign vessels found in the 
ports would be seized; and many were in consequence 
seized, and condemned in the Admiralty Court. When 
the Boreas arrived at Nevis, she found four American 
vessels deeply laden, and with what are called the island 
colours flying—white, with a red cross. They were 
ordered to hoist their proper flag, and depart within 
eight-and-forty hours ; but they refused to obey, deny¬ 
ing that they were Americans. Some of their crews 
were then examined in Nelson’s cabin, where the Judge 
of the Admiralty happened to be present. The case 
was plain; they confessed that they were Americans, 


58 LIFE OF NELSON. 1785. 

and that the ships, hull and cargo, were wholly Ameri¬ 
can property: upon which he seized them. This raised 
a storm: the planters, the custom-house, and the go¬ 
vernor, were all against him. Subscriptions were opened 
and presently filled, for the purpose of carrying on the 
cause in behalf of the American captains : and the ad¬ 
miral, whose flag was at that time in the road, stood 
neutral. But the Americans and their abettors were 
not content with defensive law. The marines whom he 
had sent to secure the ships, had prevented some of the 
masters from going ashore; and those persons, by whose 
depositions it appeared that the vessels and cargoes 
were American property, declared that they had given 
their testimony under bodily fear, for that a man with 
a drawn sword in his hand had stood over them the 
whole of the time. A rascally lawyer, whom the party 
employed, suggested this story; and as the sentry at 
the cabin-door was a man with a drawn sword, the 
Americans made no scruple of swearing to this ridicu¬ 
lous falsehood, and commencing prosecutions against 
him accordingly. They laid their damages at the enor¬ 
mous amount of 40,000£.; and Nelson was obliged to 
keep close on board his own ship, lest he should be 
arrested for a sum for which it would have been impos¬ 
sible to find bail. The marshal frequently came on 
board to arrest him, but was always prevented by the 
address of the first lieutenant, Mr. Wallis. Had he 
been taken, such was the temper of the people, that it 
was certain he would have been cast for the whole sum. 
One of his officers, one day, in speaking of the restraint 
which he was thus compelled to suffer, happened to use 
the word pity ! “Pity!” exclaimed Nelson: “Pity! 


1786. 


THE AMERICAN SHIPS CONDEMNED. 


59 


did you say ? I shall live, sii^fpKbe envied! and to 
that point I shall always dw'^jjfc my course.” Eight 
weeks he remained under this^&tate of duresse. During 
that time the trial respecting these detained ships came 
on in the Court of Admiralty.^ He went on shore under 


‘ th^falie^tj^fc* 


a protection for the day from 
standing this, the marshal was ca 
opportunity of arresting him, and the merchants pro¬ 
mised to indemnify him for so doing. The judge, 
however, did his duty, and threatened to send the mar¬ 
shal to prison if he attempted to violate the protection 
of the court. Mr. Herbert, the president of Nevis, 
behaved with singular generosity upon this occasion. 
Though no man was a greater sufferer by the measures 
which Nelson had pursued, he offered in court to become 
his bail for 10,000^., if he chose to suffer the arrest. 
The lawyer whom he had chosen proved to be an able 
as well as an honest man; and, notwithstanding the 
opinions and pleadings of most of the counsel of the 
different islands, who maintained that ships of war were 
not justified in seizing American vessels without a de¬ 
putation from the customs, the law was so explicit, the 
case so clear, and Nelson pleaded his own cause so well, 
that the four ships were condemned. During the pro¬ 
gress of this business he sent a memorial home to the 


king: in consequence of which, orders were issued that 
he should be defended at the expense of the crown. 
And upon the representations which he made at the 
same time to the secretary of state, and the suggestions 
with which he accompanied them, the Register Act was 
framed. The sanctiou of government, and the appro¬ 
bation of his conduct which it implied, were highly 


60 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1786. 


gratifying to him : but he was offended, and not without 
just cause, that the Treasury should have transmitted 
thanks to the commander-in-chief for his activity and 
zeal in protecting the commerce of Great Britain. “Had 
they known all,” said he, “ I do not think they would 
have bestowed thanks in that quarter, and neglected me. 
I feel much hurt, that, after the loss of health and risk 
of fortune, another should be thanked for what I did 
against his orders. I either deserved to be sent out of 
the service, or at least to have had some little notice 
taken of what I had done. They have thought it 
worthy of notice, and yet have neglected me. If this is 
the reward for a faithful discharge of my duty, I shall 
he careful, and never stand forward again. But I have 
done my duty, and have nothing to accuse myself of.” 

The anxiety he had suffered from the harassing 
uncertainties of law, is apparent from these expressions. 
He had, however, something to console him, for he was 
at this time wooing the niece of his friend the president, 
then in her eighteenth year, the widow of Dr. Nisbet, a 
physician. She had one child, a son, by name Josiah, 
who was three years old. One day Mr. Herbert, who 
had hastened, half-dressed, to receive Nelson, exclaimed, 
on returning to his dressing-room, “ G-ood G-od! if I did 
not find that great-little man, of whom everybody is so 
afraid, playing in the next room, under the dining- 
table, with Mrs. Nisbet’s child!” A few days after¬ 
wards Mrs. Nisbet herself was first introduced to him, 
and thanked him for the partiality which he had shown 
her little boy. Her manners were mild and winning: 
and the captain, whose heart was easily susceptible of 
attachment, found no such imperious necessity for 


1787, 


MARRIES THE WIDOW OF DR. NISBET, 


Cl 



subduing bis inclinations as had twice before withheld 
him from marrying. They were married on March 11, 
1787 : Prince William Henry, who had come out to 
the West Indies the preceding winter, being present, by 
his own desire, to give away the bride. Mr. Herbert, 
her uncle, was at this time so much displeased with his 
only daughter, that he had resolved to disinherit her, 
and leave his whole fortune, which was very great, to 
his niece. But Nelson, whose nature was too noble to 


























































62 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1787. 


let him profit by an act of injustice, interfered, and 
succeeded in reconciling the president to his child. 

“ Yesterday,” said one of his naval friends the day 
after the wedding, “ the navy lost one of its greatest 
ornaments, by Nelson’s marriage. It is a national loss 
that such an officer should marry: had it not been for 
this, Nelson would have become the greatest man in 
the service.” The man was rightly estimated: hut he 
who delivered this opinion did not understand the effect 
of domestic love and duty upon a mind of the true 
heroic stamp. 

“We are often separate,” said Nelson, in a letter 
to Mrs. Nisbet, a few months before their marriage; 
“ hut our affections are not by any means on that ac¬ 
count diminished. Our country has the first demand 
for our services; and private convenience or happiness 
must ever give way to the public good. Duty is the 
great business of a sea officer: all private considerations 
must give way to it, however painful.” “Have you 
not often heard,” says he, in another letter, “ that salt 
water and absence always wash away love? Now, I 
am such a heretic as not to believe in that article: fol 
behold, every morning I have had six pails of salt 
water poured upon my head, and instead of finding 
what seamen say to he true, it goes on so contrary to 
the prescription, that you must, perhaps, see me before 
the fixed time.” More frequently his correspondence 
breathed a deeper strain. “To write letters to you,” 
says he, “is the next greatest pleasure I feel to re¬ 
ceiving them from you. What I experience when I 
read such as I am sure are the pure sentiments of your 
heart, my poor pen cannot express;—nor, indeed. 


1787. IMPUGNS THE CONDUCT OF THE CONTEACTOES. Co 

would I give much for any pen or head which could 
express feelings of that kind. Absent from you I feel 
no pleasure: it is you who are every thing to me. 
Without you, I care not for this world; for I have found, 
lately, nothing in it but vexation and trouble. These 
are my present sentiments. G-od Almighty grant they 
may never change! Nor do I think they will. In¬ 
deed there is, as far as human knowledge can judge, a 
moral certainty that they cannot: for it must be real 
affection that brings us together, and not interest or 
compulsion.” Such were the feelings, and such the 
sense of duty, with which Nelson became a husband. 

During his stay upon this station he had ample 
opportunity of observing the scandalous practices of the 
contractors, prize-agents, and other persons in the West 
Indies connected with the naval service. When he 
was first left with the command, and bills were brought 
him to sign for money which was owing for goods pur¬ 
chased for the navy, he required the original vouchers, 
that he might examine whether those goods had been 
really purchased at the market price: but to produce 
vouchers would not have been convenient, and therefore 
was not the custom. Upon this Nelson wrote to Sir 
Charles Middleton, then comptroller of the navy, re¬ 
presenting the abuses which were likely to be practised 
in this manner. The answer which he received seemed 
to imply that the old forms were thought sufficient: 
and thus, having no alternative, he was compelled, with 
his eyes open, to submit to a practice originating in 
fraudulent intentions. Soon afterwards two Antigua 
merchants informed him that they were privy to great 
frauds, which had been committed upon government in 


64 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1787. 


various departments: at Antigua, to the amount o i 
nearly 500,000£.; at Lucia, 300,000^; at Barbadoes, 
250,0001 .; at Jamaica, upwards of a million. The in¬ 
formers were both shrewd, sensible men of business ; 
they did not affect to be actuated by a sense of justice, 
but required a per-centage upon so much as government 
should actually recover through their means. Nelson 
examined the boohs and papers which they produced, 
and was convinced that government had been most 
infamously plundered. Vouchers, he found, in that 
country, were no check whatever: the principle was, 
“ that a thing was always worth what it would bring: ” 
and the merchants were in the habit of signing vouchers 
for each other, without even the appearance of looking 
at the articles. These accounts he sent home to the 
different departments which had been defrauded: but 
the peculators were too powerful; and they succeeded 
not merely in impeding inquiry, but even in raising 
prejudices against Nelson at the board of Admiralty, 
which it was many years before he could subdue. 

Owing, probably, to these prejudices, and the in¬ 
fluence of the peculators, he was treated, on his return 
to England, in a manner which had nearly driven him 
from the service. During the three years that the 
Boreas had remained upon a station which is usually 
bo fatal, not a single officer or man of her whole com¬ 
plement had died. This almost unexampled instance 
of good health, though mostly, no doubt, imputable 
to a healthy season, must in some measure also be 
ascribed to the wise conduct of the captain. He never 
suffered the ships to remain more than three or four at 
a time at any of the islands; and when the hurricane 


1787 . 


CONTEMPLATES RESIGNING HIS COMMISSION. 


65 


months confined him to English Harbour, he encouraged 
all kinds of useful amusements: music, dancing, and 
cudgelling among the men; theatricals among the 
officers: anything which could employ their attention, 
and keep their spirits cheerful. The Boreas arrived in 
England in June. Nelson, who had many times been 
supposed to be consumptive when in the West Indies, 
and perhaps was saved from consumption by that 
climate, was still in a precarious state of health: and 
the raw, wet weather of one of our ungenial summers 
brought on cold, and sore throat, and fever; yet his 
vessel was kept at the Nore from the end of June till 
the end of November, serving as a slop and receiving 
ship. This unworthy treatment, which more probably 
proceeded from intention than from neglect, excited in 
Nelson the strongest indignation. During the whole 
five months he seldom or never quitted the ship, bid" 
carried on his duty with strict and sullen attention. 
On the morning when orders were received to prepare 
the Boreas for being paid off, he expressed his joy to 
the senior officer in the Medway; saying, “ It will 
release me for ever from an ungrateful service, for it is 
my firm and unalterable determination, never again to 
set my foot on board a king’s ship. Immediately after 
my arrival in town I shall wait on the first lord of the 
Admiralty, and resign my commission.” The officer 
to whom he thus communicated his intentions behaved 
in the wisest and most friendly manner; for finding it 
vain to dissuade him in his present state of feeling, he 
secretly interfered with the first lord to save him from 
a step so injurious to himself, little foreseeing how 
deeply the welfare and honour of England were at that 

F 


66 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1788 


moment at stake. This interference produced a letter 
from Lord Howe, the day before the ship was paid off, 
intimating a wish to see Captain Nelson as soon as he 
arrived in town: when, being pleased with his con¬ 
versation, and perfectly convinced by what was then 
explained to him, of the propriety of his conduct, he 
desired that he might present him to the king on the 
first levee day: and the gracious manner in which 
Nelson was then received effectually removed his 
resentment. 

Prejudices had been, in like manner, excited against 
his friend. Prince William Henry. “ Nothing is wanting, 
sir,” said Nelson in one of his letters, “ to make you the 
darling of the English nation, but truth. Sorry I am 
to say, much to the contrary has been dispersed.” This 
was not flattery; for Nelson was no flatterer. The 
letter in which this passage occurs shows in how wise 
and noble a manner he dealt with the prince. One of 
his royal highness’s officers had applied for a court- 
martial upon a point in which he was unquestionably 
wrong. His royal highness, however, while he sup¬ 
ported his own character and authority, prevented the 
trial, which must have been injurious to a brave and 
deserving man. “Now that you are parted,” said 
Nelson, “ pardon me, my prince, when I presume to 
recommend that he may stand in your royal favour as if 
he had never sailed with you, and that at some future 
day you will serve him. There only wants this to place 
your conduct in the highest point of view. None of us 
are without failings; Ins, was being rather too hasty: 
but that, put into competition with his being a good 
officer, will not, I am bold to say, be taken in the scale 


1788. 


HIS SENSE OF HIS UNWORTHY TREATMENT. 


67 


against him. More able friends than myself your royal 
highness may easily find, and of more consequence in 
the state; but one more attached and affectionate is 
not so easily met with. Princes seldom, very seldom, 
find a disinterested person to communicate their thoughts 
to : I do not pretend to be that person ; but of this be 
assured, by a man who, I trust, never did a dishonourable 
act, that I am interested only that your royal highness 
should be the greatest and best man this country ever 
produced.” 

Encouraged by the conduct of Lord Howe, and by 
his reception at court, Nelson renewed his attack upon 
the peculators with fresh spirit. He had interviews 
with Mr. Rose, Mr. Pitt, and Sir Charles Middleton; to 
all of whom he satisfactorily proved his charges. In 
consequence, it is said, these very extensive public 
frauds were at length put in a proper train to be pro¬ 
vided against in future; his representations were 
attended to; and every step which he recommended 
was adopted; the investigation was put into a proper 
course, which ended in the detection and punishment 
of some of the culprits; an immense saving was made 
to government, and thus its attention was directed to 
similar peculation in other parts of the colonies. But 
it is said also, that no mark of commendation seems to 
have been bestowed upon Nelson for his exertion. And 
it is justly remarked,* that the spirit of the navy cannot 
be preserved so effectually by the liberal honours 
bestowed on officers, when they are worn out in the 
service, as by an attention to those who, like Nelson at 
this part of his life, have only their integrity and zeal to 

* Clarke and M‘Arthur, vol. i. p. 107. 





G$ LIFE OF NELSON. 1788. 

bring them into notice. A junior officer, who had been 
left with the command at Jamaica, received an addi¬ 
tional allowance, for which Nelson had applied in vain. 
Double pay was allowed to every artificer and seaman 
employed in the naval yard: Nelson had superintended 
the whole business of that yard with the most rigid 
exactness, and he complained that he was neglected. 
“ It was most true,” he said, “ that the trouble which 
he took to detect the fraudulent practices then carried 
on, was no more than his duty; but he little thought 
that the expenses attending his frequent journeys to St. 
John’s upon that duty (a distance of twelve miles), 
would have fallen upon his pay as captain of the 
Boreas .” Nevertheless, the sense of what he thought 
unworthy usage did not diminish his zeal. “ I,” said 
he, “must still buffet the waves in search of—What? 
Alas! that they called honour is now thought of no 
more. My fortune, Grod knows, has grown worse for 
the service : so much for serving my country. But the 
devil, ever willing to tempt the virtuous, has made me 
offer, if any ships should be sent to destroy his majesty 
of Morocco’s ports, to be there : and I have some reason 
to think, that, should any more come of it, my humble 
services will be accepted. I have invariably laid down, 
and followed close, a plan of what ought to be upper¬ 
most in the breast of an officer,—that it is much better 
to serve an ungrateful country, than to give up his own 
fame. Posterity will do him justice. A uniform course 
of honour and integrity seldom fails of bringing a man 
to the goal of fame at last.” 

The design against the Barbary pirates, like all 
other designs against them, was laid aside; and Nelson 










Nelson bikus’-nesting with his Wjke. 


Page 6i/ 











1788. 


LIFE AT BURNHAM PARSONAGE. 


59 


took his wife to his father’s parsonage, meaning only to 
pay him a visit before they went to France; a project 
which he had formed for the sake of acquiring a com¬ 
petent knowledge of the French language. But his 
father could not bear to lose him thus unnecessarily. 
Mr. Nelson had long been an invalid, suffering under 
paralytic and asthmatic affections, which, for several 
hours after he rose in the morning, scarcely permitted 
him to speak. He had been given over by his physicians 
for this complaint nearly forty years before his death; 
and was, for many of his last years, obliged to spend all 
his winters at Bath. The sight of his son, he declared, 
had given him new life. “ But, Horatio,” said he, “ it 
would have been better that I had not been thus cheered, 
if I am so soon to be bereaved of you again. Let me, 
my good son, see you whilst I can. My age and infir¬ 
mities increase, and I shall not last long.” To such an 
appeal there could be no reply. Nelson took up his 
abode at the parsonage, and amused himself with the 
sports and occupations of the country. Sometimes he 
busied himself with farming the glebe; sometimes spent 
the greater part of the day in the garden, where he 
would dig as if for the mere pleasure of wearying 
himself. Sometimes he went a bird’s nesting like a 
boy: and in these expeditions Mrs. Nelson always, by 
his express desire, accompanied him. Coursing was 
his favourite amusement. Shooting, as he practised it, 
was far too dangerous for his companions : for he carried 
his gun upon the full cock, as if he were going to 
board an enemy; and the moment a bird rose, he let 
fly, without ever putting the fowling-piece to his 
shoulder. It is not, therefore, extraordinary, that his 


70 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1788. 


Having once shot a partridge should be remembered 
by his family among the remarkable events of his 
life. 

But his time did not pass away thus without some 
vexatious cares to ruffle it. The affair of the American 
ships was not yet over, and he was again pestered with 
threats of prosecution. " I have written them word,” 
said he, "that I will have nothing to do with them, and 
they must act as they think proper. Gfovernment, I 
suppose, will do what is right, and not leave me in the 
lurch. We have heard enough lately of the consequence 
of the Navigation Act to this country. They may take 
my person : but if sixpence would save me from a pro¬ 
secution, I would not give it.” It was his great ambi¬ 
tion at this time to possess a pony; and having resolved 
to purchase one, he went to a fair for that purpose. 
During his absence two men abruptly entered the par¬ 
sonage, and inquired for him: they then asked for Mrs. 
Nelson : and after they had made her repeatedly declare 
that she was really and truly the captain’s wife, presented 
her with a writ, or notification, on the part of the 
American captains, who now laid their damages at 
20,000£., and they charged her to give it to her husband 
on his return. Nelson having bought his pony, came 
home with it in high spirits. He called out his wife to 
admire his purchase, and listen to all its excellences : 
nor was it till his glee had in some measure subsided, 
that the paper could be presented to him. His indigna¬ 
tion was excessive: and, in the apprehension that he 
should be exposed to the anxieties of the suit, and the 
ruinous consequences wnich might enspe, he exclaimed, 
"This affront I did not deserve! But I’ll be trifled 


1788. 


IS SUED BY THE AMERICAN CAPTAINS. 


7\ 


with no longer. I will write immediately to the trea¬ 
sury, and, if government will not support me, I am 
resolved to leave the country.” Accordingly, he in¬ 
formed the treasury, that if a satisfactory answer were 
not sent him by return of post, he should take refuge in 
France. To this he expected he should be driven, and 
for this he arranged every thing with his characteristic 



rapidity of decision. It was settled that he should 
depart immediately, and Mrs. Nelson follow under the 
care of his elder brother Maurice, ten days after him. 
But Jhe answer which he received from government 
quieted his fears: it stated, that Captain Nelson was a 
very good officer, and needed be under no apprehension, 
for he would assuredly be supported. 










72 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1792 . 


Here his disquietude upon this subject seems to 
have ended. Still he was not at ease; he wanted em¬ 
ployment, and was mortified that his applications for it 
produced no effect. Cf Not being a man of fortune,” he 
said, tc was a crime which he was unable to get over, and 
therefore none of the great cared about him.” Re¬ 
peatedly he requested the Admiralty that they would 
not leave him to rust in indolence. During the arma¬ 
ment which was made upon occasion of the dispute 
concerning Nootka Sound, he renewed his application: 
and his steady friend. Prince William, who had then 
been created Duke of Clarence, recommended him to 
Lord Chatham. The failure of this recommendation 
wounded him so keenly, that he again thought of re¬ 
tiring from the service in disgust; a resolution from 
which nothing but the urgent remonstrances of Lord 
Hood induced him to desist. Hearing that the Raison- 
noble ,, in which he had commenced his career, was to be 
commissioned, he asked for her. This also was in 
vain: and a coolness ensued, on his part, toward Lord 
Hood, because that excellent officer did not use his 
influence with Lord Chatham upon this occasion. Lord 
Hood, however, had certainly sufficient reasons for not 
interfering: for he ever continued his steady friend. 
In the winter of 1792, when we were on the eve of the 
revolutionary war, Nelson once more offered his services, 
earnestly requested a ship, and added, that if their 
lordships should be pleased to appoint him to a cockle- 
boat, he should feel satisfied. He was answered in the 
usual official form : “ Sir,—I have received your letter 
of the 5th instant, expressing your readiness to serve, 
and have read the same to my lords commissioners of 


1793. 


APPOINTED TO THE AGAMEMNON. 


73 


the Admiralty.” On the 12th of December he received 
this dry acknowledgment. The fresh mortification did 
not, however, affect him long: for, by the joint interest 
of the Duke and Lord Hood, he was appointed, on the 
30th of January following, to the Agamemnon of sixty- 
four guns. 











BASTIA. 


CONTENTS OF CHAPTER III. 

The Agamemnon sent to the Mediterranean—Commencement 
of Nelson’s acquaintance with Sir William and Lady Hamilton — 
Is sent to join Commodore Linzee, at Tunis—Action with a 
French frigate—Is ordered to Corsica, to co-operate with Paoli— 
The struggles of the Corsicans for liberty—Their treatment by 
the French—The Protector GafFori—The patriot Paoli—Siege 
of St. Fiorenzi—Nelson besieges and reduces Bastia—Takes a 
prominent part in the siege of Calvi—Loses an eye—Annexation 
of Corsica—Admiral Hotham’s action — The Agamemnon engages 
the Ca Ira and Genseur — Nelson proceeds to Genoa to co-operate 
with the Austrian and Sardinian forces—General de Vins— 
His character and conduct—Nelson’s difficulties—Defeat of the 
Austrians. 

















ACTION BETWEEN THE AGAMEMNON AND Tlltt CA IRA. 


CHAPTER III. 

“ There are three things, young gentleman,” said Nel¬ 
son to one of his midshipmen, “ which you are constantly 
to bear in mind. First, you must always implicitly 
obey orders, without attempting to form any opinion of 
your own respecting their propriety. Secondly, you must 
consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your 
king: and, thirdly, you must hate a Frenchman as you do 
the devil.” With these feelings he engaged in the war. 
Josiah, his step-son, went with him as a midshipman. 

The Agamemnon* was ordered to the Mediterranean, 
under Lord Hood. The fleet arrived in those seas at a 
rime when the south of France would willingly have 

* The Agamemnon, or, as she was humorously styled by the seamen, 
the “ Old Eggs-and-Bacon,” was wrecked when under the command of 
Captain Rose in Maldonado Bay, in the river Plate. This happened on 
the 20th of June, in the year 1809. Many of Nelson’s hardy tars were 
still on hoard of her; and I well remember witnessing the distress 
pictured on many a furrowed countenance, as they were compelled to 
quit a ship so powerfully endeared to them by old associations. The 
address of Captain Rose, previously to their being distributed amongst 



















78 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1793. 


formed itself into a separate republic, under the protec¬ 
tion of England. But good principles had been at that 
time perilously abused by ignorant and profligate men; 
and, in its fear and hatred of democracy, the English 
government abhorred whatever was republican. Lord 
Hood could not take advantage of the fair occasion which 
presented itself; and which, if it had, been seized with 
vigour, might have ended in dividing France :—but he 
negotiated with the people pf Toulon, to take possession 
provisionally of their port and city; which, fatally foi 
themselves, was done. Before the British fleet entered, 
Nelson was sent with despatches to Sir William Hamil¬ 
ton, our envoy at the court of Naples. Sir William, 
after his first interview with him, told Lady Hamilton 
that he was about to introduce a little man to her, who 
could not boast of being very handsome; but such a 
man, as, he believed, would one day astonish the world. 
“ I have never before,” he continued, “ entertained an 
officer at my house; but I am determined to bring him 
here. Let him be put in the room prepared for Prince 
Augustus.” Thus that acquaintance began which ended 
in the destruction of Nelson’s domestic happiness. It 
seemed to threaten no such consequences at its com¬ 
mencement. He spoke of Lady Hamilton, in a letter 
to his wife, as a young woman of amiable manners, who 
did honour to the station to which she had been raised: 
and he remarked, that she had been exceedingly kind 
to Josiah. The activity with which the envoy exerted 
himself in procuring troops from Naples to assist in 
garrisoning Toulon, so delighted him, that he is said to 

the fleet (under Admiral de Courcy), drew tears from many an ey«? 
that had looked undismayed at danger, even when death appeared 
inevitable.— The Old Sailor. 





1793. 


INTRODUCED TO LADY HAMILTON. 


79 


have exclaimed, “ Sir William, you are a man after my 
own heart!—you do business in my own way:” and 
then to have added, “ I am now only a captain; but I 
will, if I live, be at the top of the tree.” Here, also. 



LADY HAMILTON. 


that acquaintance with the Neapolitan court commenced, 
which led to the only blot upon Nelson’s public charac¬ 
ter. The king, who was sincere at that time in his 
enmity to the French, called the Engb’sh the saviours 
of Italy, and of his dominions in particular. He paid 
the most flattering attention to Nelson, made him dine 
with him, and seated him at his right hand. 

Having accomplished this mission. Nelson received 
orders to join Commodore Linzee, at Tunis. On the 



30 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794. 


way, five sail of tlie enemy were discovered off the coast 
of Sardinia, and he chased them. They proved to be 
three forty-four gun frigates, with a corvette of twenty- 
four, and a brig of twelve. The Agamemnon had only 
345 men at quarters, having landed part of her crew at 
Toulon, and others being absent in prizes. He came 
near enough one of the frigates to engage her, but at 
great disadvantage, the Frenchman manoeuvring well, 
and sailing greatly better. A running fight of three 
hours ensued; during which the other ships, which 
were at some distance, made all speed to come up. 
By this time the enemy was almost silenced, when a 
favourable change of wind enabled her to get out of 
reach of the Agamemnon s guns : and that ship had re¬ 
ceived so much damage in the rigging that she could not 
follow her. Nelson, conceiving that this was but the 
forerunner of a far more serious engagement, called his 
officers together, and asked them if the ship was fit to 
go into action against such a superior force without 
some small refreshment for the men ? Their answer 
was, that she certainly was not. He then gave these 
orders: “ Veer the ship, and lay her head to the west¬ 
ward : let some of the best men, be employed in re¬ 
fitting the rigging, and the carpenter getting crows and 
capstern-bars to prevent our wounded spars from coming 
down; and get the wine up for the people, with some 
bread, for it may be half an hour good before we are 
again in action.” But when the French came up, theii 
comrade made signals of distress, and they all hoisted 
out their boats to go to her assistance, leaving the 
Agamemnon unmolested. 

Nelson found Commodore Linzee at Tunis, where 


1794 . 


THE ISLAND OF COESICA. 


81 


lie had been sent to expostulate with the dey upon the 
impolicy of his supporting the revolutionary government 
of France. Nelson represented to him the atrocity of 
that government. Such arguments were of little avail 
in Barbary: and when the dey was told that the French 
had put their sovereign to death, he dryly replied, that 
“ Nothing could be more heinous; and yet, if historians 
told the truth, the English had once done the same.” 
This answer had doubtless been suggested by the French 
about him: they had completely gained the ascend¬ 
ancy, and all negotiation on our part proved fruitless. 
Shortly afterwards Nelson was detached with a small 
squadron, to co-operate with General Paoli and the 
anti-Gallican party in Corsica. 

Some thirty years before this time, the heroic 
patriotism of the Corsicans, and of their leader, Paoli, 
had been the admiration of England. The history of 
these brave people is but a melancholy tale. The 
island which they inhabit has been abundantly blessed 
by nature : it has many excellent harbours; and though 
the malaria , or pestilential atmosphere, which is so 
deadly in many parts of Italy, and of the Italian islands, 
prevails on the eastern coast, the greater part of the 
country is mountainous and healthy. It is about 150 
miles long, and from 40 to 50 broad : in circumference, 
some 320:—a country large enough, and sufficiently 
distant from the nearest shores, to have subsisted as an 
independent state, if the welfare and happiness of the 
human race had ever been considered as the end and 
aim of policy. The Moors, the Pisans, the kings of 
Arragon, and the Genoese, successively attempted, and 
each for a time effected, its conquest. The yoke of the 

G 


82 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


U94. 


Gfenoese continued longest, and was the heaviest. These 
petty tyrants ruled with an iron rod : and when at any 
time a patriot rose to resist their oppressions, if they 
failed to subdue him by force, they resorted to assassi¬ 
nation. At the commencement of the last century they 
quelled one revolt by the aid of Grerman auxiliaries, 
whom the Emperor Charles VI. sent against a people 
who had never offended him, and who were fighting for 
whatever is most dear to man. In 1734 the war was 
renewed; and Theodore, a Westphalian baron, then 
appeared upon the stage. In that age men were not 
accustomed to see adventurers play for kingdoms, and 
Theodore became the common talk of Europe. He had 
served in the French armies; and having afterwards 
been noticed both by Eipperda and Alberoni, their 
example, perhaps, inflamed a spirit as ambitious and as 
unprincipled as their own. He employed the whole of 
his means in raising money and procuring arms: then 
wrote to the leaders of the Corsican patriots, to offer 
them considerable assistance, if they would erect Corsica 
into an independent kingdom, and elect him king. 
When he landed among them, they were struck with 
his stately person, his dignified manners, and imposing 
talents: they believed the magnificent promises of 
foreign assistance which he held out, and elected him 
king accordingly. Had his means been as he repre¬ 
sented them, they could not have acted more wisely 
than in thus at once fixing the government of their 
country, and putting an end to those rivalries among 
the leading families, which had so often proved per¬ 
nicious to the public weal. He struck money, conferred 
titles, bJocked up the fortified towns which were held 













4 794. 


THE FRENCH IN CORSICA. 


83 


by the Genoese, and amused the people with promises 
of assistance for about eight months: then, perceiving 
that they cooled in their affections toward him, in pro¬ 
portion as their expectations were disappointed, he left 
the island, under the plea of expediting himself the 
succours which he had so long awaited. Such was his 
address, that he prevailed upon several rich merchants 
in Holland, particularly the Jews, to trust him with 
cannon and warlike stores to a great amount. They 
shipped these under the charge of a supercargo. Theo¬ 
dore returned with this supercargo to Corsica, and put 
him to death on his arrival, as the shortest way of 
settling the account. The remainder of his life was a 
series of deserved afflictions. He threw in the stores 
which he had thus fraudulently obtained: but he did 
not dare to land; for Genoa had now called m the 
French to their assistance, and a price had been set 
upon his head. His dreams of royalty were now at an 
end: he took refuge in London, contracted debts, and 
was thrown into the King’s Bench. After lingering 
there many years, he was released under an act of insol¬ 
vency : in consequence of which, he made over the 
kingdom of Corsica for the use of his creditors, and died 
shortly after his deliverance. 

The French, who have never acted a generous part 
in the history of the world, readily entered into the 
views of the Genoese, which accorded with their own 
policy; for such was their ascendancy at Genoa, that in 
subduing Corsica for these allies, they were in fact sub¬ 
duing it for themselves. They entered into the contest, 
therefore, with their usual vigour, and their usual 


84 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794 . 


cruelty. It was in vain that the Corsicans addressed a 
most affecting memorial to the court of Versailles; that 
remorseless government persisted in its flagitious project. 
They poured in troops; dressed a part of them like the 
people of the country, by which means they deceived 
and destroyed many of the patriots; cut down the 
standing corn, the vines, and the olives; set fire to the 
villages, and hung all the most able and active men 
who fell into their hands. A war of this kind may be 
carried on with success against a country so small and 
so thinly peopled as Corsica. Having reduced the 
island to perfect servitude, which they called peace, the 
French withdrew their forces. As soon as they were 
gone, men, women, and boys rose at once against their 
oppressors. The circumstances of the times were now 
favourable to them; and some British ships, acting as 
allies of Sardinia, bombarded Bastia and St. Fiorenzo, 
and delivered them into the hands of the patriots. This 
service was long remembered with gratitude: the im¬ 
pression made upon our own countrymen was less 
favourable. They had witnessed the heart-burning of 
rival chiefs, and the dissensions among the patriots; and 
perceiving the state of barbarism to which continual 
oppression, and habits of lawless turbulence, had reduced 
the nation, did not recollect that the vices of the people 
were owing to their unhappy circumstances; but that 
the virtues which they displayed arose from their own 
nature. This feeling, perhaps, influenced the British 
court when, in 1746, Corsica offered to put herself 
under the protection of Great Britain: an answer was 
returned expressing satisfaction at such a communica- 


1794 . 


THE PROTECTOR GAFFORI. 


85 


tion, hoping that the Corsicans would preserve the same 
sentiments, but signifying also that the present was not 
the time for such a measure. 

These brave islanders then formed a government for 
themselves, under two leaders, Gaffori and Matra, who 
had the title of protectors. The latter is represented aa 
a partisan of Genoa, favouring the views of the op¬ 
pressors of his country by the most treasonable means. 
Gaffori was a hero worthy of old times. His eloquence 
was long remembered with admiration. A band of 
assassins was once advancing against him ; he heard of 
their approach, went out to meet them; and, with a 
serene dignity, which overawed them, requested them 
to hear him : he then spoke to them so forcibly of the 
distresses of their country, her intolerable wrongs, and 
the hopes and views of their brethren in arms, that the 
very men who had been hired to murder him fell at 
his feet, implored his forgiveness, and joined his banner. 
While he was besieging the Genoese in Corte, a part of 
the garrison perceiving the nurse with his eldest son, 
then an infant in arms, straying at a little distance from 
the camp, suddenly sallied out and seized them. The 
use they made of their persons was in conformity with 
their usual execrable conduct. When Gaffori advanced 
to batter the walls, they held up the child directly over 
that part of the wall at which the guns were pointed. 
The Corsicans stopped; but Gaffori stood at their head, 
and ordered them to continue the fire. Providentially 
the child escaped, and lived to relate, with becoming 
feeling, a fact so honourable to his father. That father 
conducted the affairs of the island till 1753, when he 
was assassinated by some wretches, set on, it is believed, 


3G LIFE OF NELSON. 1794. 

by Genoa; but certainly pensioned by that abominab'e 
government after the deed. He left the country iL 

O 

such a state, that it was enabled to continue the war 
two years after his death without a leader : then they 
found one worthy of their cause in Pasquale de Paoli. 



GENEIUI. PiOLI. 


Paoli’s father was one of the patriots who effected 
their escape from Corsica when the French reduced it 
to obedience. He retired to Naples, and brought up 
this his youngest son in the Neapolitan service. The 
Corsicans heard of young Paolfs abilities, and solicited 
him to come over to his native country, and take the 
command. He did not hesitate long : his father, who 
was too far advanced in years to take an active part 
himself, encouraged him to go; and when they sepa¬ 
rated, the old man fell on his neck, and kissed him, and 
gave him his blessing. “ My son,” said he, (( perhaps X 



1794. 


THE PATRIOT PAOLI. 


87 


may never see you more; but in my mind I shall ever 
be present with you. Your design is great and noble ; 
and I doubt not but God will bless you m it. I shall 
devote to your cause the little remainder of my life, in 
offering up my prayers for your success.” When Paoli 
assumed the command, he found all things in confusion; 
he formed a democratical government, of which he was 
chosen chief; restored the authority of the laws; esta¬ 
blished an university ; and took such measures, both for 
repressing abuses and moulding the rising generation, 
that, if France had not interfered, upon its wicked and 
detestable principle of usurpation, Corsica might, at this 
day, have been as free, and flourishing, and happy a 
commonwealth, as any of the Grecian states in the days 
of their prosperity. The Genoese were at this time 
driven out of their fortified towns, and must in a short 
time have been expelled. France was indebted some 
millions of livres to Genoa: it was not convenient to 
pay this money; so the French minister proposed to 
the Genoese, that she should discharge the debt by 
sending six battalions to serve in Corsica for four years. 
The indignation which this conduct excited in all gen¬ 
erous hearts was forcibly expressed by Rousseau, who, 
with all his errors, was seldom deficient in feeling for 
the wrongs of humanity. “ You Frenchmen,” said he, 
writing to one of that people, “are a thoroughly servile 
nation, thoroughly sold to tyranny, thoroughly cruel, 
and relentless in persecuting the unhappy. If they 
knew of a free-man at the other end of the world, I 
believe they would go thither for the mere pleasure of 
extirpating him.” 

The immediate object of the French happened to be 


88 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794. 


purely mercenary: they wanted to clear off their debt 
to Genoa; and as the presence of their troops in the 
island effected this, they aimed at doing the people no 
farther mischief. Would that the conduct of England 
had been at this time free from reproach ! hut a pro¬ 
clamation was issued by the English government, after 
the peace of Paris, prohibiting any intercourse with the 
rebels of Corsica. Paoli said, he did not expect this 
from Great Britain. This great man was deservedly 
proud of his country. “ I defy Rome, Sparta, or 
Thebes,” he would say, “ to show me thirty years of such 
patriotism as Corsica can boast! ” Availing himself of 
the respite which the inactivity of the French and the 
weakness of the Genoese allowed, he prosecuted his 
plans of civilising the people. He used to say, that 
though he. had an unspeakable pride in the prospect of 
the fame to which he aspired; yet, if he could but 
render his countrymen happy, he would be content to 
be forgotten. His own importance he never affected to 
undervalue. “We are now to our country,” said he, 
“ like the prophet Elisha, stretched over the dead body 
of the Shunamite,—eye to eye, nose to nose, mouth to 
mouth. It begins to recover warmth, and to revive : I 
hope it will yet regain full health and vigour.” 

But when the four years were expired, France pur¬ 
chased the sovereignty of Corsica from the Genoese for 
forty millions of livres: as if the Genoese had been 
entitled to sell it; as if any bargain or sale could justify 
one country in taking possession of another against the 
will of the inhabitants, and butchering all who oppose 
the usurpation! Among the enormities which France 
has committed, this action seems but as a speck; yet 


! 794 . 


PAOLI IN ENGLAND. 


89 


the foulest murderer that ever suffered by the hands of 
the executioner has infinitely less guilt upon his soul 
than the statesman who concluded this treaty, and the 
monarch who sanctioned and confirmed it. A desperate 
and glorious resistance was made; but it was in vain; 
no power interposed in behalf of these injured islanders, 
and the French poured in as many troops as were re¬ 
quired. They offered to confirm Paoli in the supreme 
authority, only on condition that he would hold it under 
their government. His answer was, “ That the rocks 
which surrounded him should melt away before he 
would betray a cause which he held in common with 
the poorest Corsican.” This people then set a price 
upon his head. During two campaigns he kept them at 
bay: they overpowered him at length : he was driven 
to the shore, and having escaped on ship-board, took 
refuge in England. It is said that Lord Shelburne 
resigned his seat in the cabinet because the ministry 
looked on, without attempting to prevent France from 
succeeding in this abominable and important act of 
aggrandisement. In one respect, however, our country 
acted as became her. Paoli was welcomed with the 
honours which he deserved, a pension of 1200 1. per 
annum was immediately granted him; and provision 
was liberally made for his elder brother and his 
nephew. 

x\bove twenty years Paoli remained in England, 
enjoying the friendship of the wise, and the admiration 
of the good. But when the French Revolution began, 
it seemed as if the restoration of Corsica was at hand. 
The whole country, as if animated by one spirit, rose 
and demanded liberty; and the National Assembly 


90 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794. 


passed a decree, recognising the island as a department 
of France, and therefore entitled to all the privileges of 
the new French constitution. This satisfied the Cor¬ 
sicans, which it ought not to have done; and Paoli, in 
whom the ardour of youth was past, seeing that his 
countrymen were contented, and believing that they 
were about to enjoy a state of freedom, naturally wished 
to return to his native country. He resigned his pen¬ 
sion in the year 1790, and appeared at the bar of the 
Assembly with the Corsican deputies, when they took 
the oath of fidelity to France. But the cause of events 
in France soon dispelled those hopes of a new and 
better order of things, which Paoli, in common with so 
many friends of humankind, had indulged: and per¬ 
ceiving, after the execution of the king, that a civil war 
was about to ensue, of which no man could foresee the 
issue, he prepared to break the connexion between 
Corsica and the French republic. The Convention, sus¬ 
pecting such *a design, and perhaps occasioning it by 
their suspicions, ordered him to their bar. That way, 
he well knew, led to the guillotine ; and, returning a 
respectful answer, he declared that he would never be 
found wanting in his duty, but pleaded age and in¬ 
firmity as a reason for disobeying the summons. Their 
second order was more summary: and the French 
troops who were in Corsica, aided by those of the 
natives, who were either influenced by hereditary party 
feelings, or who were sincere in Jacobinism, took the 
field against him. But the people were with him. He 
repaired to Corte, the capital of the island, and was 
again invested with the authority which he had held in 
the noon-day of his fame. The Convention, upon this, 


1794 . 


SIEGE OF ST. FIORENZO. 


91 


denounced him as a rebel, and set a price upon his head. 
It was not the first time that France had proscribed 
Paoli. 

Faoli now opened a correspondence with Lord Hood, 
promising, if the English would make an attack upon 
St. Fiorenzo from the sea, he would, at the same time, 
attack it by land. This promise he was unable to per¬ 
form : and Commodore Linzee, who, in reliance upon 
it, was sent upon this service, was repulsed with some 
loss. Lord Hood, who had now been compelled to 
evacuate Toulon, suspected Paoli of intentionally de¬ 
ceiving him. This was an injurious suspicion. Shortly 
afterwards he despatched Lieutenant-Colonel (after¬ 
wards Sir John) Moore and Major Koehler to confer 
with him upon a plan of operations. Sir Gilbert Elliot 
accompanied them: and it was agreed upon that, in 
consideration of the succours, both military and naval, 
which his Britannic Majesty should afford for the pur¬ 
pose of expelling the French, the island of Corsica 
should be delivered into the immediate possession of 
his Majesty, and bind itself to acquiesce in any settle¬ 
ment he might approve of concerning its government 
and its future relation with Great Britain. While this 
negotiation was going on, Kelson cruised off the island 
vvith a small squadron, to prevent the enemy from 
throwing in supplies. Close to St. Fiorenzo the French 
had a store-house of flour, near their only mill: he 
watched an opportunity, and landed 120 men, who 
threw the flour into the sea, burnt the mill, and re¬ 
embarked before 1000 men, who were sent against him, 
could occasion him the loss of a single man. While he 
exerted himself thus, keeping out all supplies, inter- 


92 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794 . 


cepting despatches, attacking their out-posts and forts, 
and cutting out vessels from the hay,—a species of 
warfare which depresses the spirit of an enemy more 
than it injures them, because of the sense of individual 
superiority which it indicates in the assailants,—troops 
were landed, and St. Fiorenzo was besieged. The 
French, finding themselves unable to maintain their 
post, sunk one of their frigates, burnt another, and 
retreated to Bastia. Lord Hood submitted to General 
Dundas, who commanded the land forces, a plan for 
the reduction of this place: the general declined co¬ 
operating, thinking the attempt impracticable, without 
a reinforcement of 2000 men, which he expected from 
Gibraltar. Upon this Lord Hood determined to reduce 
it with the naval force under his command; and 
leaving part of his fleet off Toulon, he came with the 
rest to Bastia. 

He showed a proper sense of respect for Nelson’s 
services, and of confidence in his talents, by taking 
care not to bring with him any older captain. A few 
days before their arrival. Nelson had what he called a 
brush with the enemy. “If I had had with me five 
hundred troops,” he said, “ to a certainty I should have 
stormed the town, and I believe it might have been 
carried. Armies go so slow, that seamen think they 
never mean to get forward: but I daresay they act on 
a surer principle, although we seldom fail.” During 
this partial action our army appeared upon the heights; 
and having reconnoitred the place, returned to St. 
Fiorenzo. “What the general could have seen to 
make a retreat necessary,” said Nelson, “ I cannot com¬ 
prehend. A thousand men would certainly take Bastia; 



































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VICOUNT BRIDPORT 
OB , 1814, 




























1794. 


SIEGE OF BASTIA. 


93 


with five hundred, and Agamemnon I would attempt it. 
My seamen are now what British seamen ought to be 
—almost invincible. They really mind shot no more 
than peas.” Greneral Dundas had not the same con¬ 
fidence. “ After mature consideration,” said he in a 
letter to Lord Hood, “and a personal inspection for 
several days of all circumstances, local as well as others, 
I consider the siege of Bastia, with our present means 
and force, to be a most visionary and rash attempt; 
such as no officer would be justified in undertaking.” 
Lord Hood replied, that nothing would be more 
gratifying to his feelings than to have the whole re¬ 
sponsibility upon himself; and that he was ready and 
willing to undertake the reduction of the place a,t his 
own risk, with the force and means at present there. 
Greneral d’Aubant, who succeeded at this time to the 
command of the army, coincided in opinion with his 
predecessor, and did not think it right to furnish his 
lordship with a single soldier, cannon, or any stores. 
Lord Hood could only obtain a few artillerymen; and 
ordering on board that part of the troops who, having 
been embarked as marines, were borne on the ships’ 
books as part of their respective complements, he began 
the siege with 1183 soldiers, artillerymen, and marines, 
and 250 sailors. “ We are but few,” said Nelson, “ but 
of the right sort; our general at St. Fiorenzo not giving 
us one of the five regiments he has there lying idle.” 

These men were landed on the 4th of April, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Villettes and Nelson, who had now 
acquired from the army the title of brigadier. Gruns 
were dragged by the sailors up heights where it ap¬ 
peared almost impossible to convey them;—a work of 


94 


LTFE OF NELSON. 


1794 . 


the greatest difficulty; and which Nelson said could 
never, in his opinion, have been accomplished by any 
but British seamen. The soldiers, though less dex¬ 
terous in such service, because not accustomed, like 
sailors, to habitual dexterity, behaved with equal spirit. 
Their zeal,” said the brigadier, “ is almost unexampled. 
There is not a man but considers himself as personally 
interested in the event, and deserted by the general. 
It has, I am persuaded, made them equal to double 
their numbers.” This is one proof, of many, that for 
eur soldiers to equal our seamen, it is only necessary 
for them to be equally well commanded. They have 
the same heart and soul, as well as the same flesh and 
blood. Too much may, indeed, be exacted from them 
in a retreat; but set their face toward a foe, and there 
is nothing within the reach of human achievement 
which they cannot perform. The French had improved 
the leisure which our military commander had allowed 
them, and before Lord Hood commenced his operations, 
he had the mortification of seeing that the enemy were 
every day erecting new works, strengthening old ones, 
and rendering the attempt more difficult. La Combe 
St. Michel, the commissioner from the National Con¬ 
vention, who was in the city, replied in these terms to 
the summons of the British general: “ I have hot shot 
for your ships, and bayonets for your troops. When 
two-thirds of our men are killed, I will then trust to 
the generosity of the English.” The siege, however, 
was not sustained with the firmness which such a reply 
seemed to augur. On the 19th of May a treaty of capi¬ 
tulation was begun: that same evening the troops from 
St. Fiorenzo made their appearance on the hills; and, 



1794. 


ENGLISH BRAVERY 


95 


on the following morning, General d’Aubant ai rived 
with the whole army to take possession of Bastia. 

The event of this siege had justified the confidence 
of the sailors; but they themselves excused the opinion 
of the generals, when they saw what they had done. 
“I am all astonishment,” said Nelson, “when I reflect 
upon what we have achieved: 1000 regulars, 1500 
national guards, and a large party of Corsican troops, 
4000 in all, laying down their arms to 1200 soldiers, 
marines, and seamen! I always was of opinion, have 
ever acted up to it, and never had any reason to repent 
it, that one Englishman was equal to three Frenchmen. 
Had this been an English town, I am sure it would not 
have been taken by them.” When it had been resolved 
to attack the place, the enemy were supposed to be 
far inferior in number; and it was not till the whole 
had been arranged, and the siege publicly undertaken, 
that Nelson received certain information of the great 
superiority of the garrison. This intelligence he kept 
secret, fearing lest, if so fair a pretext were afforded, 
the attempt would be abandoned. “My own honour,” 
said he to his wife, “Lord Hood’s honour, and the honour 
of our country, must have been sacrificed, had I men¬ 
tioned what I knew: therefore you will believe what 
must have been my feelings during the whole siege, 
when I had often proposals made to me to write to 
Lord Hood to raise it.” Those very persons who thus 
advised him were rewarded for their conduct at the 
siege of Bastia: Nelson, by whom it might be truly 
affirmed that Bastia was taken, received no reward. 
Lord Hood’s thanks to him, both public and private, 
were, as he himself said, the handsomest which man 


I 


96 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794 . 


could give: but his signal merits were not so men¬ 
tioned in the despatches, as to make them sufficiently 
known to the nation, nor to obtain for him from Govern¬ 
ment those honours to which they so amply entitled him. 
This could only have arisen from the haste in which the 
despatches were written; certainly not from any deli¬ 
berate purpose, for Lord Hood was uniformly his steady 
and sincere friend. 

One of the cartel’s ships, which carried the garrison 
of Bastia to Toulon, brought back intelligence that the 
French were about to sail from that port;—such exertions 
had they made to repair the damage done at the evacua¬ 
tion, and to fit out a fleet. The intelligence was speedily 
verified. Lord Hood sailed in quest of them toward the 
islands of the Hieres. The Agamemnon was with him. 
" I pray God,” said Nelson, writing to his wife, “ that 
we may meet their fleet. If any accident should happen 
to me, I am sure my conduct will be such as will 
entitle you to the royal favour;—not that I have the 
least idea but I shall return to you, and full of honour: 
—if not, the Lord’s will be done. My name shall never 
be a disgrace to those who may belong to me. The little 
I have, I have given to you, except a small annuity; 
I wish it was more; but I have never got a farthing 
dishonestly—it descends from clean hands. Whatever 
fate awaits me, I pray God to bless you, and preserve 
you, for your son’s sake.” With a mind thus prepared, 
and thus confident, his hopes and wishes seemed on the 
point of being gratified, when the enemy were dis¬ 
covered close under the land, near St. Tropez. The 
wind fell, and prevented Lord Hood from getting 
between them and'the shore, as he designed: boats 


1794 . 


NEW MODE OF ATTACK. 


97 


came out from Antibes and other places, to their assist¬ 
ance, and towed them within the shoals in Gourjean 
roads, where they were protected by batteries on islea 
St. Honore and St. Marguerite, and on Cape Garousse. 
Here the English admiral planned a new mode of attack, 
meaning to double on five of the nearest ships; but the 
wind again died away, and it was found that they had 
anchored in compact order, guarding the only passage 
for large ships. There was no way of effecting this 
passage, except by towing or warping the vessels; and 
this rendered the attempt impracticable. For this time 
the enemy escaped: but Nelson bore in mind the 
admirable plan of attack which Lord Hood had devised, 
and there came a day when they felt its tremendous 
effects. 

The Agamemnon was now despatched to co-operate 
at the siege of Calvi with General Sir Charles Stuart; 
an officer who, unfortunately for his country, never had 
an adequate field allotted him for the display of those 
eminent talents, which were, to all who knew him, so 
conspicuous.* Nelson had less responsibility here than 
at Bastia; and was acting with a man after his own 
heart, who was never sparing of himself, and slept every 
night in the advanced battery. But the service was not. 
less hard than that of the former siege. “We will fag 
ourselves to death,” said he to Lord Hood, “ before any 
blame shall lie at our doors. I trust it will not be for¬ 
gotten that twenty-five pieces of heavy ordnance have 
been dragged to the different batteries, mounted, and 
all but three fought by seamen, except one artilleryman 

* Lord Melville was fully sensible of these talents, and bore testi 
mony to them in the handsomest manner after Sir Charles’s death. 

H 


98 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794 , 


to point the guns.” The climate proved more destruc 
tive than the service; for this was during the period of 
the “ lion sun,” as they there call our season of the “ dog 
days.” Of 2000 men above half were sick, and the rest 
like so many phantoms. Nelson described himself as 
the reed among the oaks, bowing before the storm when 
they were laid low by it. “ All the prevailing disorders 
have attacked me,” said he, “ but I have not strength 
enough for them to fasten on.” The loss from the 
enemy was not great; but Nelson received a serious 
injury: a shot struck the ground near him, and drove 
the sand and small gravel into one of his eyes. He 
spoke of it slightly at the time: writing the same day 
to Lord Hood, he only said, that he got a little hurt 
that morning, not much; and the next day he said, he 
should be able to attend his duty in the evening. In 
fact, he suffered it to confine him only one day; but 
the sight was lost. 

After the fall of Calvi, his services were, by a strange 
omission, altogether overlooked: and his name was not 
even mentioned in the list of wounded. This was no¬ 
ways imputable to the admiral, for he sent home to 
G-overnment Nelson’s journal of the siege, that they 
might fully understand the nature of his indefatigable 
and unequalled exertions. If those exertions were not 
rewarded in the conspicuous manner which they de¬ 
served, the fault was in the administration of the day, 
not in Lord Hood. Nelson felt himself neglected. 
“ One hundred and ten days,” said he, “ I have been 
actually engaged, at sea and on shore, against the 
enemy; three actions against ships, two against Bastia 
in my ship, four boat actions, and two villages taken. 


1794. 


INTERVIEW WITH THE DOGE. 


99 


and twelve sail of vessels burnt* I do not know that 
any one has done more. I have had the comfort to he 
always applauded by my commander-in-chief, but never 
to be rewarded: and, what is more mortifying, for ser¬ 
vices in which I have been wounded, others have been 
praised, who, at the same time, were actually in bed far 
from the scene of action. They have not done me jus¬ 
tice. But, never mind. I’ll have a 4 Gazette ’ of my own.” 
How amply was this second-sight of glory realised! 

The health of his ship’s company had now, in his 
own words, been miserably torn to pieces by as hard 
service as a ship’s crew ever performed: 150 were in 
their beds when he left Calvi; of them he lost fifty; 
and believed that the constitutions of the rest were 
entirely destroyed. He was now sent with despatches 
to Mr. Drake, at Genoa, and had his first interview 
with the Doge. The French had, at this time, taken 
possession of Yado Bay, in the Genoese territory; and 
Nelson foresaw, that if their thoughts were bent on the 
invasion of Italy, they would accomplish it the ensuing 
spring. 44 The allied powers,” he said, 44 were jealous 
of each other; and none but England was hearty in 
the cause.” His wish was for peace, on fair terms, 
because England, he thought, was draining herself, to 
maintain allies who would not fight for themselves. 
Lord Hood had now returned to England, and the 
command devolved on Admiral Hotham. The affairs 
of the Mediterranean wore at this time a gloomy aspect. 
The arts, as well as the arms of the enemy, were gaining 
the ascendancy there. Tuscany concluded peace, re¬ 
lying upon the faith of France, which was, in fact, 
placing itself at her mercy. Corsica was hi danger. 


> > 






100 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1794 . 


We had taken that island for ourselves, annexed it 
formally to the crown of Great Britain, and given it a 
constitution as free as our own. This was done with 
the consent of the majority of the inhabitants: and no 
transaction between two countries was ever more fairly 
or legitimately conducted: yet our conduct was un¬ 
wise;—the island is large enough to form an indepen¬ 
dent state, and such we should have made it, under 
our protection, as long as protection might be needed. 
The Corsicans would then have felt as a nation; but, 
when one party had given up the country to England, 
the natural consequence was, that the other looked to 
France. The question proposed to the people was, to 
which would they belong ? Our language and our 
religion were against us; our unaccommodating man¬ 
ners, it is to be feared, still more so. The French were 
better politicians. In intrigue they have ever been unri¬ 
valled ; and it now became apparent that, in spite of old 
wrongs, which ought never to have been forgotten or 
forgiven, their partisans were daily acquiring strength. 
It is part of the policy of France, and a wise policy 
it is, to impress upon other powers the opinion of its 
strength, by lofty language, and by threatening before 
it strikes ; a system which, while it keeps up the spirit 
of its allies, and perpetually stimulates their hopes, 
tends also to dismay its enemies. Corsica was now 
loudly threatened. The French, who had not yet been 
taught to feel their own inferiority upon the seas, braved 
us, in contempt, upon that element. They had a 
superior fleet in the Mediterranean, and they sent it 
but with express orders to seek the English and engage 
them. Accordingly, the Toulon fleet, consisting of 




i795. 


ADMIRAL HOTHAM’s ACTION. 


101 


seventeen ships of the line, and five smaller vessels, pul 
to sea. Admiral Hotham received this information at 
Leghorn, and sailed immediately in search of them. 
He had with him fourteen sail of the line, and one 
Neapolitan seventy-four; but his ships were only half 
manned, containing but 7650 men, whereas the enemy 
had 16,900. He soon came in sight of them : a general 
action was expected; and Nelson, as was his custom on 
such occasions, wrote a hasty letter to his wife, as that 
which might possibly contain his last farewell. “ The 
lives of all, 5 ’ said he, “are in the hands of Him who 
knows best whether to preserve mine or not: my 
character and good name are in my own keeping.” 

But however confident the French government 
might be of their naval superiority, the officers had no 
such feeling; and after manoeuvring tor a day, in 
sight of the English fleet, they suffered themselves to 
be chased. One of their ships, the Ca Ira, of eighty- 
four guns, carried away her main and fore-top masts. 
The Inconstant frigate fired at the disabled ship, but 
received so many shot that she was obliged to leave 
her. Soon afterwards a French frigate took the Ca 
Ira in tow; and the Sans-Culottes, one hundred and 
twenty, and the Jean Barras, seventy-four, kept about 
gunshot distance on her weather bow. The Agamemnon 
stood towards her, having no ship of the line to support 
her within several miles. As she drew near, the Ca 
Ira fired her stern guns so truly, that not a shot missed 
some part of the ship, and, latterly, the masts were 
struck by every shot. It had been Nelson’s intention 
not to fire before he touched her stern; but seeing how 
impossible it was he should be supported, and how 


102 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795. 


certainly the Agamemnon must be severely cut up, if 
her masts were disabled, he altered his plan according 
to the occasion. As soon, therefore, as he was within a 
hundred yards of her stern, he ordered the helm to be 
put a-starboard, and the driver and after-sails to be 
brailed up and shivered; and, as the ship fell off, gave 
the enemy her whole broadside. They instantly braced 
up the after-yards, put the helm a-port, and stood after 
her again. This manoeuvre he practised for two hours 
and a quarter, never allowing the Ca Ira to get a 
single gun from either side to bear on him; and when 
the French fired their after-guns now, it was no longer 
with coolness and precision, for every shot went far 
a-head. By this time her sails were hanging in tatters, 
her mizen-top-mast, mizen-top-sail, and cross-jack-yards, 
shot away. But the frigate which had her in tow hove 
in stays, and got her round. Both these French ships 
now brought their guns to bear, and opened their fire. 
The Agamemnon passed them within half-pistol shot; 
almost every shot passed over her, for the French had 
elevated their guns for the rigging, and for distant 
firing, and did not think of altering the elevation. As 
soon as the Agamemnon's after-guns ceased to bear, 
she hove in stays, keeping a constant fire as she came 
round; and being worked, said Nelson, with as much 
exactness as if she had been turning into Spithead. On 
getting round, he saw that the Sans-Culottes, which 
had wore, with many of the enemy’s ships, was under 
his lee bow, and standing to leeward. The admiral, at 
the same time, made the signal for the van ships to 
join him. Upon this Nelson bore away, and prepared 
to set all sail; and the enemy, having saved their ship f 





1795, 


INCIDENTS OF THE ACTION. 


103 


hauled close to the wind, and opened upon him a dis¬ 
tant and effectual fire. Only seven of the Agamemnon’s 
men were hurt—a thing which Nelson himself remarked 
as wonderful: her sails and rigging were very much cut, 
and she had many shots in her hull, and some between 
wind and w r ater. The Ca Ira lost 110 men that day y 
and was so cut up, that she could not get a top-mast 
aloft during the night. 

At daylight, on the following morning, the English 
ships were taken aback with a fine breeze at N.W., while 
the enemy’s fleet kept the southerly wind. The body 
of their fleet was about five miles distant; the Ca Ira , 
and the Censeur, seventy-four, which had her in tow, 
about three and a half. All sail was made to cut these 
ships off; and, as the French attempted to save them, a 
partial action was brought on. The Agamemnon was 
engaged with her yesterday’s antagonist; but she had 
to fight on both sides the ship at the same time. The 
Ca Ira and the Censeur fought most gallantly: the 
first lost nearly 300 men, in addition to her former loss; 
the last 350. Both at last struck: and Lieutenant 
Andrews, of the Agamemnon , brother to the lady to 
whom Nelson had become attached in France, and, in 
Nelson’s own words, “as gallant an officer as ever 
stepped a quarter-deck,” hoisted English colours on 
board them both. The rest of the enemy’s ships be¬ 
haved very ill. As soon as these vessels had struck, 
Nelson went to Admiral Hotham, and proposed that 
the two prizes should be left with the Illustrious and 
Courageux, which had been crippled in the action, and 
with four frigates, and that the rest of the fleet should 
pursue the enemy, and follow up the advantage to the 


x04 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795. 


utmost. But his reply was—“ We must be contented * 
we have done very well.” “ Now,” said Nelson, “ had 
we taken ten sail, and allowed the eleventh to escape, 
when it had been possible to have got at her, I could 
never have called it well done. Croodall backed me : I 
got him to write to the admiral; but it would not do. 
We should have had such a day as, I believe, the annals 
of England never produced.” In this letter, the cha¬ 
racter of Nelson fully manifests itself. “ I wish,” said 
he, “to be an admiral, and in the command of the 
English fleet: I should very soon either do much, or 
be ruined: my disposition cannot bear tame and slow 
measures. Sure I am, had I commanded on the 14th, 
that either the whole French fleet would have graced 
my triumph, or I should have been in a confounded 
scrape.” What the event would have been, he knew 
from his prophetic feelings and his own consciousness 
of power: and we also know it now, for Aboukir and 
Trafalgar have told it us. 

The Ga Ira and Censeur probably defended them¬ 
selves with more obstinacy in this action, from a per¬ 
suasion that, if they struck, no quarter would be given; 
because they had fired red-hot shot, and had also a 
preparation, sent, as they said, by the Convention from 
Paris, which seems to have been of the nature of the 
Greek fire ; for it became liquid when it was discharged, 
and water would not extinguish its flames. This com¬ 
bustible was concealed with great care in the captured 
ships: like the red-hot shot, it had been found useless 
in battle. Admiral Hotham’s action saved Corsica for 
the time; but the victory had been incomplete, and the 
arrival at Toulon of six sail of the line, two frigates, and 









1795, 


DANGER OF FALSE ECONOMY. 


105 


two cutters, from Brest, gave the French a superiority 
which, had they known how to use it, would materially 
Dave endangered the British Mediterranean fleet. That 
fleet had been greatly neglected during Lord Chatham’s 
administration at the Admiralty; and it did not, for 
some time, feel the beneficial effect of his removal. 
Lord Hood had gone home to represent the real state of 
affairs, and solicit reinforcements adequate to the exi¬ 
gencies of the time, and the importance of the scene of 
action. But that fatal error of under-proportioning the 
force to the service — that ruinous economy, which, by 
sparing a little, renders all that is spent useless, infected 
the British councils; and Lord Hood, not being able to 
obtain such reinforcements as he knew were necessary, 
resigned the command. “ Surely,” said Nelson, “ the 
people at home have forgotten us.” Another Neapo¬ 
litan seventy-four joined Admiral Hotham ; and Nelson 
observed with sorrow, that this was matter of exultation 
to an English fleet. When the store-ships and vic¬ 
tuallers from Gibraltar arrived, their escape from the 
enemy was thought wonderful; and yet, had they not 
escaped, “ the game,” said Nelson, “ was up here. At 
this moment our operations are at a stand for want of 
ships to support the Austrians in getting possession of 
the sea-coast of the King of Sardinia; and, behoid, our 
admiral does not feel himself equal to show himself, 
much less to give assistance in their operations.” It 
was reported that the French were again out with 
eighteen or twenty sail. The combined British and 
Neapolitan were but sixteen; should the enemy be only 
eighteen, Nelson made no doubt of a complete victory; 
but if there were twenty, he said, it was not to be 


106 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795 


expected : and a battle, without complete victory, would 
have been destruction, because another mast was not to 
be got on that side Gibraltar. At length Admiral Man 
arrived with a squadron from England. “What they 
can mean by sending him with only five sail of the line,” 
said Nelson, “is truly astonishing: but all men are 
alike, and we in this country do not find any amend¬ 
ment or alteration from the old Board of Admiralty. 
They should know that half the ships in the fleet re¬ 
quire to go to England; and that long ago they ought 
to have reinforced us.” 

About this time Nelson was made colonel of marines: 
a mark of approbation which he had long wished for 
rather than expected. It came in good season, for his 
spirits were oppressed by the thought that his services 
had not been acknowledged as they deserved; and it 
abated the resentful feeling which would else have been 
excited by the answer to an application to the War- 
office. During his four months^ land service in Corsica, 
he had lost all his ship-furniture, owing to the move¬ 
ments of a camp. Upon this he wrote to the Secretary- 
at-war, briefly stating what his services on shore had 
been, and saying, he trusted it was not asking an im¬ 
proper thing to request that the same allowance might 
be made to him which would be made to a land officer 
of his rank, which, situated as he was, would be that of 
a brigadier-general: if this could not be accorded, he 
hoped that his additional expenses would be paid him. 
The answer which he received was, “ that no pay had 
ever been issued under the direction of the War-office 
to officers of the navy serving with the army on 
shore.” 











1795. IS CHASED BY THE FRENCH FLEET. l 0 7 

He now entered upon a new line of service. The 
Austrian and Sardinian armies, under General de Vins, 
required a British squadron to co-operate with them in 
driving the French from the Riviera di Genoa; and as 
Nelson had been so much in the habit of soldiering it 
was immediately fixed that the brigadier should°go. 
He sailed from St. Fiorenzo on this destination; but 



NELSON CHASED INTO ST. FIORENZO BY THE FRENCH FLEET. 


fell m, off Cape del Mele, with the enemy’s fleet, who 
immediately gave his squadron chase. The chase lasted 
four-and-twenty hours; and owing to the fickleness of 
the wind, the British ships were somewhat hard pressed : 
but the want of skill on the part of the French gave 
them many advantages. Nelson bent his way back to 
St. Fiorenzo, where the fleet, which was in the midst 











f08 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795. 




of watering and refitting, had, for seven hours, the 
mortification of seeing him almost in possession of the 
enemy, before the wind would allow them to put out to 
his assistance. The French, however, at evening, went 
off, not choosing to approach nearer the shore. During 
the night. Admiral Hotham, by great exertions, got 
under weigh ; and, having sought the enemy four days, 
came in sight of them on the fifth. Baffling winds and 
vexatious calms, so common in the Mediterranean, ren¬ 
dered it impossible to close with them; only a partial 
action could be brought on; and then the firing made 
a perfect calm. The French being to windward, drew 
in shore; and the English fleet was becalmed six or 
seven miles to the westward. L'Alcide , of seventy- 
four guns, struck; but before she could be taken pos¬ 
session of, a box of combustibles in her fore-top took 
fire, and the unhappy crew experienced how far more 
perilous their inventions were to themselves than to 
their enemies. So rapid was the conflagration, that the 
French in their official account say, the hull, the masts, 
and sails, all seemed to take fire at the same moment; 
and though the English boats were put out to the 
assistance of the poor wretches on board, not more than 
200 could be saved. The Agamemnon , and Captain 
Rowley, in the Cumberland , were just getting into close 
action a second time, when the admiral called them off, 
the wind now being directjy into the gulf of Frejus, 
where the enemy anchored after the evening closed. 

Nelson now proceeded to his station with eight sail 
of frigates under his command. Arriving at Grenoa, he 
had a conference with Mr. Drake, the British envoy to 
that state; the result of which was, that the object of 









I 









1795 


IS STATIONED AT GENOA.. 


109 


the British must be, to put an entire stop to all trade 
between G-enoa, France, and the places occupied by the 
French troops; for, unless this trade were stopped, it 
would be scarcely possible for the allied armies to hold 
their situation, and impossible for them to make any 
progress in driving the enemy out of the Riviera di 
G-enoa. Mr. Brake was of opinion, that even Nice 
might fall for want of supplies, if the trade with Genoa 
were cut off. This sort of blockade Nelson could not 
carry on without great risk to himself. A captain in 
the navy, as he represented to the envoy, is liable to 
prosecution for detention and damages. This danger 
was increased by an order which had then lately been 
issued; by which, when a neutral ship was detained, a 
complete specification of her cargo was directed to be 
sent to the Secretary of the Admiralty, and no legal 
process instituted against her till the pleasure of that 
Board should be communicated. This was requiring an 
impossibility. The cargoes of ships detained upon this 
station, consisting chiefly of corn, would be spoiled long 
before the orders of the Admiralty could be known; 
and then, if they should happen to release the vessel, 
the owners would look to the captain for damages. 
Even the only precaution which could be taken against 
this danger involved another danger not less to be 
apprehended; for, if the captain should direct the cargo 
to be taken out, the freight paid for, and the vessel 
released, the agent employed might prove fraudulent, 
and become bankrupt; and in that case the captain 
became responsible. Such things had happened; Nelson 
therefore required, as the only means for carrying on 
that service, which was judged essential to the common 


110 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795. 


cause, without exposing the officers to ruin, that the 
British envoy should appoint agents to pay the freight, 
release the vessels, sell the cargo, and hold the amount 
till process was had upon it: Government thus securing 
its officers. “I am acting,” said Nelson, “not only 
without the orders of my commander-in-chief, but, in 
some measure, contrary to him. However, I have not 
only the support of his majesty’s ministers, both at Turin 
and Genoa, but a consciousness that I am doing what 
is right and proper for the service of our king and 
country. Political courage, in an officer abroad, is as 
highly necessary as military courage.” 

This quality, which is as much rarer than military 
courage, as it is more valuable, and without which the 
soldier’s bravery is often of little avail. Nelson possessed 
in an eminent degree. His representations were at¬ 
tended to as they deserved. Admiral Hotham com¬ 
mended him for what he had done; and the attention 
of Government was awakened to the injury which the 
cause of the allies continually suffered from the frauds 
of neutral vessels. “ What changes in my life of acti¬ 
vity ! ” said this indefatigable man. “Here I am; having 
commenced a co-operation with an old Austrian general, 
almost fancying myself charging at the head of a troop 
of horse! I do not write less than from ten to twenty 
letters every day; which, with the Austrian general 
and aides-de-camp, and my own little squadron, fully 
employed my time. This I like;—active service, or 
none.” It was Nelson’s mind which supported his feeble 
body through these exertions. He was at this time 
almost blind, and wrote with very great pain. “ Poor 
Agamemnon ,” he sometimes said, “ was as nearly worn 




1795. 


GENERAL DE TINS. 


Ill 


out as her captain; and both must soon be laid up to 
repair.” 

When Nelson first saw General de Vins, he thought 
him an able man, who was willing to act with vigour. 
The general charged his inactivity upon the Piedmontese 
and Neapolitans, whom, he said, nothing could induce 
to act; and he concerted a plan with Nelson, for em¬ 
barking a part of the Austrian army, and landing it in 
the rear of the French. But the English commodore 
soon began to suspect that the Austrian general was 
little disposed to any active operations. In the hope of 
spurring him on, he wrote to him, telling him that he 
had surveyed the coast to the westward as far as Nice, 
and would undertake to embark four or five thousand 
men, with their arms, and a few days’ provisions, on 
board the squadron, and land them within two miles of 
St. Remo, with their field-pieces. Respecting further 
provisions for the Austrian army, he would provide 
convoys, that they should arrive in safety ; and if a re¬ 
embarkation should be found necessary, he would cover 
it with the squadron. The possession of St. Remo, as 
head-quarters for magazines of every kind, would enable 
the Austrian general to turn his army to the eastward 
or westward. The enemy at Oneglia would be cut off 
from provisions, and men could be landed to attack that 
place whenever it was judged necessary. St. Remo was 
the only place between Vado and Ville Franche where 
the squadron could lie in safety, and anchor in almost 
all winds. The bay was not as good as Vado for large 
ships; but it had a mole, which Vado had not, Where 
all small vessels could lie, and load and unload their 
cargoes. This bay bein£ in possession of the allies. 





112 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795. 


Nice could be completely blockaded by sea. Gfeneral 
de Vins, affecting, in his reply, to consider that Nelson’s 
proposal had no other end than that of obtaining the 
bay of St. Eemo as a station for the ships, told him, 
what he well knew, and had expressed before, that Vado 
Bay was a better anchorage; nevertheless, if Monsieur 
le Commandant Nelson was well assured that part of the 
fleet could winter there, there was no risk to which he 
would not expose himself with pleasure, for the sake of 
procuring a safe station for the vessels of his Britannic 
Majesty. Nelson soon assured the Austrian commander 
that this was not the object of his memorial. He now 
began to suspect that both the Austrian court and their 
general had other ends in view than the cause of the 
allies. “ This army,” said he, “ is slow beyond all de¬ 
scription; and I begin to think that the emperor is 
anxious to touch another four millions of English money. 
As for the Herman generals, war is their trade, and 
peace is ruin to them; therefore we cannot expect that 
thev should have anv wish to finish the war. The 

•/ *j 

politics of courts are so mean, that private people would 
be ashamed to act in the same way: all is'trick and 
finesse, to which the common cause is sacrificed. The 
general wants a loophole ; it has for some time appeared 
to me that he means to go no farther than his present 
position, and to lay the miscarriage of the enterprise 
against Nice, which has always been held out as the 
great object of his army, to the non-co-operation of the 
British fleet, and of the Sardinians.” 

To prevent this plea, Nelson again addressed De 
VTns, requesting only to know the time, and the number 
of troops ready to embark; then he would, he said, 




1795. 


INACTIVITY OF DE VINE. 


113 


despatch a ship to Admiral Hotham, requesting trans¬ 
ports, having no doubt of obtaining them, and trusting 
that the plan would be successful to its fullest extent. 
Nelson thought at the time, that if the whole fleet were 
offered him for transports, he would find some other 
excuse; and Mr. Drake, who was now appointed to re¬ 
side at the Austrian head-quarters, entertained the same 
idea of the general’s sincerity. It was not, however, 
put so clearly to the proof as it ought to have been. 
He replied, that as soon as Nelson could declare himself 
ready with the vessels necessary for conveying 10,000 
men, with their artillery and baggage, he would put the 
army in motion. But Nelson was not enabled to do 
this: Admiral Hotham, who was highly meritorious in 
leaving such a man so much at his own discretion, pur¬ 
sued a cautious system, ill-according with the bold and 
comprehensive views of Nelson, who continually re¬ 
gretted Lord Hood, saying, that the nation had suffered 
much by his resignation of the Mediterranean command. 
The plan which had been concerted, he said, would 
astonish the French, and perhaps the English. 

There was no unity in the views of the allied powers, 
no cordiality in their co-operation, no energy in their 
councils. The neutral powers assisted France more 
effectually than the allies assisted each other. The 
Genoese ports were at this time filled with French pri¬ 
vateers, which swarmed out every night, and covered 
the gulf; and French vessels were allowed to tow out 
of the port of Genoa itself, board vessels which were 
coming in, and then return into the mole. This was 
allowed without a remonstrance; while, though Nelson 
abstained most carefully from offering any offence to 

I 


114 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795 


the Genoese territory or flag, complaints were so re¬ 
peatedly made against his squadron, that, he says, it 
seemed a trial who should be tired first: they of com¬ 
plaining, or he of answering their complaints. But the 
question of neutrality was soon at an end. An Austrian 
commissary was travelling from Genoa towards Yado; 
it was known that he was to sleep at Voltri, and that he 
had 10,00(Y. with him,—a booty which the French 
minister in that city, and the captain of a French frigate 
in that port, considered as far more important than the 
word of honour of the one, the duties of the other, and 
the laws of neutrality. The boats of the frigate went 
out with some privateers, landed, robbed the com¬ 
missary, and brought back the money to Genoa. The 
next day men were publicly enlisted in that city for the 
French army: 700 men were embarked, with 7000 
stand of arms, on board the frigates and other vessels, 
who were to land between Voltri and Savona:—there a 
detachment from the French army was to join them, 
and the Genoese peasantry were to be invited to insur¬ 
rection,— a measure for which everything had been 
prepared. The night of the 13th was fixed for the 
sailing of this expedition: the Austrians called loudly 
for Nelson to prevent it; and he, on the evening of the 
13th, arrived at Genoa. His presence checked the 
plan: the frigate, knowing her deserts, got within the 
merchant ships, in the inner mole; and the Genoese 
government did not now even demand of Nelson respect 
to the neutral port, knowing that they had allowed, if not 
connived at, a flagrant breach of neutrality, and expect¬ 
ing the answer which he was prepared to return, that it 
was useless and impossible for him to respect it longer. 





1795. 


DIFFICULTIES OF NELSON^ POSITION. 


115 


But though this movement produced the immediate 
effect which was designed, it led to ill consequences, 
which Nelson foresaw, but, for want of sufficient force, 
was unable to prevent. His squadron was too small for 
the service which it had to perform. He required two 
seventy-fours, and eight or ten frigates and sloops; but 
when he demanded this reinforcement, Admiral Hotham 
had left the command. Sir Hyde Parker succeeded till 
the new commander should arrive; and he immediately 
reduced it almost to nothing, leaving him only one fri¬ 
gate and a brig. This was a fatal error. While the 
Austrian and Sardinian troops, whether from the imbe¬ 
cility or the treachery of their leaders, remained inactive, 
the French were preparing for the invasion of Italy. 
Not many days before Nelson was thus summoned to 
Genoa, he chased a large convoy into Alassio. Twelve 
vessels he had formerly destroyed in that port, though 
2000 French troops occupied the town : this former 
attack had made them take new measures of defence; 
and there were now above 100 sail of victuallers, gun¬ 
boats, and ships of war. Nelson represented to the 
admiral how important it was to destroy these vessels; 
and offered, with his squadron of frigates, and the 
Culloden and Couragiux . to lead himself in the Aga¬ 
memnon, and take or destroy the whole. The attempt 
was not permitted: but it was Nelson’s belief, that, if 
it had been made, it would have prevented the attack 
upon the Austrian army, which took place almost 
immediately afterwards. 

General de Vins demanded satisfaction of the 
Genoese government for the seizure of his commissary; 
and then, without waiting for their reply, took possession 


116 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795. 


of some empty magazines of the French, and pushed his 
sentinels to the very gates of Genoa. Had he done so 
at first, he would have found the magazines full; but 
timed as the measure was, and useless as it was to the 
cause of the allies, it was in character with the whole of 
the Austrian general’s conduct: and it is no small proof 
of the dexterity with which he served the enemy, that 
in such circumstances he could so act with Genoa, as to 
contrive to put himself in the wrong. Nelson was at 
this time, according to his own expression, placed in a 
cleft stick. Mr. Drake, the Austrian minister, and the 
Austrian general, all joined in requiring him not to 
leave Genoa: if he left that port unguarded, they said, 
not only the imperial troops at St. Pier d’Arena and 
Voltri would be lost, but the French plan for taking 
post between Voltri and Savona would certainly succeed: 
if the Austrians should be worsted in the advanced 
posts, the retreat by the Bocchetta would be cut off; 
and, if this happened, the loss of the army would be 
imputed to him, for having left Genoa. On the other 
hand, he knew, that if he were not at Pietra, the 
enemy’s gun-boats would harass the left flank of the 
Austrians, who, if they were defeated, as was to be 
expected, from the spirit of all their operations, 
would very probably lay their defeat to the want of 
assistance from the Agamemnon . Had the force for 
which Nelson applied been given him, he could have 
attended to both objects: and had he been permitted 
to attack the convoy in Alassio, he would have discon¬ 
certed the plans of the French, in spite of the Austrian 
general. He had foreseen the danger, and pointed out 
how it might be prevented; but the means of preventing 






179.5 


DEFEAT OF THE AUSTRIANS. 


117 


it were withheld. The attack was made, as he fore¬ 
saw ; and the gunboats brought their fire to bear upon 
the Austrians. It so happened, however, that the left 
dank, which was exposed to them, was the only part of 
the army that behaved well; this division stood its 
ground till the centre and the right wing fled, and then 
retreated in a soldier-like manner. General de Yins 
gave up the command in the middle of the battle, 
pleading ill health.. “ From that moment,” says Nelson, 
not a soldier stayed at his post: it was the devil take 
the hindmost. Many thousands ran away who had 
never seen the enemy; some of them thirty miles from 
the advanced posts. Had I not—though, I own, against 
my inclination—been kept at Genoa, from eight to ten 
thousand men would have been taken prisoners, and, 
amongst the number, General de Vins himself: but, 
by this means, the pass of the Bocchetta was kept open. 
The purser of the ship, who was at Yado, ran with the 
Austrians eighteen miles without stopping: the men 
without arms, officers without soldiers, women without 
assistance. The oldest officer, say they, never heard of 
so complete a defeat, and certainly without any reason. 
Thus has ended my campaign. We have established 
the French republic; which, but for us, I verily believe, 
would never have been settled by such a volatile, 
changeable people. I hate a Frenchman: they are 
equally objects of my detestation, whether royalists or 
republicans: in some points, I believe, the latter are 
the best.” Nelson had a lieutenant and two mid¬ 
shipmen taken at Yado: they told him, in their letter, 
that few of the French soldiers were more than three 
or four and twenty years old, a great many not more 


218 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1795 


than fourteen, and all were nearly naked: they were 
sure, they said,- his barge’s crew could have beat a 
hundred of them; and that, had he himself seen them, 
he would not have thought, if the world had been 
covered with such people, that they could have beaten 
the Austrian army. 

The defeat of General de Vins gave the enemy pos¬ 
session of the Genoese coast from Savona to Voltri; 
and it deprived the Austrians of their direct commu¬ 
nication with the English fleet. The Agamemnon , 
therefore, could no longer be useful on this station, and 
Nelson sailed for Leghorn to refit. When the ship went 
into dock, there was not a mast, yard, sail, or any part 
of the rigging, but what stood in need of repair, having 
been cut to pieces with shot. The hull was so damaged, 
that it had for some time been secured by cables, which 
were served or thrapped round it. 









‘ —Bonaparte begins his Career—His first Successes 
m Italy—Evacuation of Corsica—Nelson superintends the Em¬ 
barkation at Bastia—Hoists his broad Pendant in the Minerve 
Frigate—Engages two Spanish Frigates—Leaves the Mediter¬ 
ranean—Proceeds to join the Admiral—Falls in with the Spanish 
Fleet—Battle off Cape St. Vincent—Captures the San Nicolas 
and San Josef —Sir John Jervis’s Account of the Victory— 
Nelson receives the Order of the Bath—Commands the Inner 
Squadron at the Blockade of Cadiz—Conflict with a Spanish 
Launch—Expedition against Santa Cruz—Is shot through the 
Arm—Failure of the Attack—Generosity of the Spanish Gover¬ 
nor—Nelson returns to England—Sufferings from his Wound — 
Recovery 



















ACTION BETWEEN THE CAPTAIN AND THE SANT IS SIMA TRINIDAD. 

CHAPTER IV. 

Sir John Jervis had now arrived to take the command 
of the Mediterranean fleet. The Agamemnon having, 
as her captain said, been made as fit for sea as a rotten 
ship could be, Nelson sailed from Leghorn, and joined 
the admiral in Fiorenzo Bay. “ I found him,” said he, 
“ anxious to know many things, which I was a good 
deal surprised to find had not been communicated to 
him by others in the fleet; and it would appear that 
he was so well satisfied with my opinion of what is 
likely to happen, and the means of prevention to be 
taken, that he had no reserve with me respecting his 
information and ideas of what is likely to be done.” 
The manner in which Nelson was received is said to 
have excited some envy. One captain observed to him: 












122 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1796. 


“ You did just as you pleased in Lord Hood’s time, the 
same in Admiral Hotham’s, and now again with Sir 
John Jervis: it makes no difference to you who is com- 
mander-in-chief.” A higher compliment could not 
have been paid to any 6ommander-in-chief, than to 
say of him, that he understood the merits of Nelson, 
and left him, as far as possible, to act upon his own 
judgment. 

Sir John Jervis offered him the St, George , ninety, 
or the Zealous, seventy-four, and asked if he should 
have any objection to serve under him with his flag. 
He replied, that if the Agamemnon were ordered home, 
and his flag were not arrived, he should, on many ac¬ 
counts, wish to return to England : still, if the war 
continued, he should be very proud of hoisting his flag 
under Sir John’s command. “We cannot spare you,” 
said Sir John, “either as captain or admiral.” Ac¬ 
cordingly, he resumed his station in the Gulf of Genoa. 
The French had not followed up their successes in that 
quarter with their usual celerity. Scherer, who com¬ 
manded there, owed his advancement to any other cause 
than his merit; he was a favourite of the Directory; 
but, for the present, through the influence of Barras, 
he was removed from a command for which his incapa¬ 
city was afterwards clearly proved, and Bonaparte was 
appointed to succeed him. Bonaparte had given indi¬ 
cations of his military talents at Toulon, and of his 
remorseless nature at Paris: but the extent either of 
his ability or his wickedness was at this time known to 
none, and perhaps not even suspected by himself. 

Nelson supposed, from the information which he 
had obtained, that one column of the French army 



1796. 


FIRST SUCCESSES OF BONAPARTE IN ITALY. 


123 


would take possession of Port Especia; either penetrat¬ 
ing through the Genoese territory, or proceeding coast- 
ways in light vessels; our ships of war not being able 
to approach the coast, because of the shallowness of the 
water. To prevent this, he said, two things were 
necessary: the possession of Vado Bay, and the taking 
of Port Especia; if either of these points were secured, 
Italy would be safe from any attack of the French by 
sea. General Beaulieu, who had now superseded De 
Vins in the command of the allied Austrian and 
Sardinian army, sent his nephew and aide-de-camp to 
communicate with Nelson, and inquire whether he could 
anchor in any other place than Vado Bay. Nelson 
replied, that Vado was the only place where the British 
fleet could lie in safety: but all places would suit his 
squadron; and wherever the general came down to the 
sea-coast, there he should find it. The Austrian re¬ 
peatedly asked, if there was not a risk of losing the 
squadron; and was constantly answered, that if these 
ships should be lost, the admiral would find others. 
But all plans of co-operation with the Austrians were 
soon frustrated by the battle of Montenotte. Beaulieu 
ordered an attack to be made upon the post of Voltri; 
it was made twelve hours before the time which he had 
fixed, and before he arrived to direct it. In consequence, 
the French were enabled to effect their retreat, and fall 
back to Montenotte; thus- giving the troops there a 
decisive superiority in number over the division which 
attacked them. This drew on the defeat of the Aus¬ 
trians. Bonaparte, with a celerity which had never 
before been witnessed in modern war, pursued his ad¬ 
vantages , and, in the course of a fortnight, dictated to 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1796. 


1 24 


the court of Turin terms of peace, or rather of sub¬ 
mission ; by which all the strongest places of Piedmont 
were put into his hands. 

On one occasion, and only on one. Nelson was able 
to impede the progress of this new conqueror. Six 
vessels, laden with cannon and ordnance-stores for the 
siege of Mantua, sailed from Toulon for St. Pier d’Arena. 
Assisted by Captain Cockburn, in the Meleager , he 
drove them under a battery, pursued them, silenced the 
batteries, and captured the whole. Military books, 
plans, and maps of Italy, with the different points 
marked upon them where former battles had been 
fought, sent by the Directory for Bonaparte’s use, were 
found in the convoy. The loss of this artillery was one 
of the chief causes which compelled the French to raise 
the siege of Mantua: but there was too much treachery, 
and too much imbecility, both in the councils and armies 
of the allied powers, for Austria to improve this mo¬ 
mentary success. Bonaparte perceived that the con¬ 
quest of all Italy was within his reach: treaties, and 
the rights of neutral or friendly powers, were as little 
regarded by him as by the government for which he 
acted. In open contempt of both he entered Tuscany, 
and took possession of Leghorn. In consequence of this 
movement, Nelson blockaded that port, and landed a 
British force in the Isle of Elba, to secure Porto Ferrajo. 
Soon afterwards he took the island of Capraja, which 
had formerly belonged to Corsica, being less than forty 
miles distant from it: a distance, however, short as it 
was, which enabled the Genoese to retain it, after their 
infamous sale of Corsica to France. Genoa had now 
taken part with France : its government had long 
















1796. 


EVACUATION OF CORSICA. 


12^ 


covertly assisted the French, and now willingly yielded 
to the first compulsory menace which required them to 
exclude the English from their ports. Capraja was 
seized, in consequence : but this act of vigour was not 
followed up as it ought to have been. England at that 
time depended too much upon the feeble governments 
of the Continent, and too little upon itself. It was de¬ 
termined by the British cabinet to evacuate Corsica, as 
soon as Spain should form an offensive alliance with 
France. This event, which, from the moment that 
Spain had been compelled to make peace, was clearly 
foreseen, had now taken place; and orders for the eva¬ 
cuation of the island were immediately sent out. It 
was impolitic to annex this island to the British domi¬ 
nions ; but, having done so, it was disgraceful thus to 
abandon it. The disgrace would have been spared, and 
every advantage which could have been derived from 
the possession of the island secured, if the people had 
at first been left to form a government for themselves, 
and protected by us in the enjoyment of their inde¬ 
pendence. 

The Viceroy, Sir Gilbert Elliot, deeply felt the im¬ 
policy and ignominy of this evacuation. The fleet also 
was ordered to leave the Mediterranean. This resolu¬ 
tion was so contrary to the last instructions which had 
been received, that Nelson exclaimed, “ Do his Majesty’s 
ministers know their own minds ? They at home,” said 
he, “ do not know what this fleet is capable of per¬ 
forming— anything and everything. Much as I shall 
rejoice to see England, I lament our present orders in 
sackcloth and ashes, so dishonourable to the dignity of 
England, whose fleets are equal to meet the world 


126 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1796. 

in arms; and of all the fleets I ever saw, I never beheld 
one, in point of officers and men, equal to Sir John 
Jervis’s, who is a commander-in-chief able to lead them 
to glory.” Sir Gilbert Elliot believed that the grea 
body of the Corsicans were perfectly satisfied, as they 
had good reason to be, with the British government, 
sensible of its advantages, and attached to it. However 
this may have been, when they found that the English 
intended to evacuate the island, they naturally and 
necessarily sent to make their peace with the French. 
The partisans of France found none to oppose them. 
A committee of thirty took upon them the government 
of Bastia, and sequestrated all the British property: 
armed Corsicans mounted guard at every place, and a 
plan was laid for seizing the viceroy. Nelson, who was 
appointed to superintend the evacuation, frustrated 
these projects. At a time when every one else de¬ 
spaired of saving stores, cannon, provisions, or property 
of any kind, and a privateer was moored across the 
mole-head to prevent all boats from passing, he sent 
word to the committee, that if the slightest opposition 
were made to the embarkment and removal of British 
property, he would batter the town down. The pri¬ 
vateer pointed her guns at the officer who carried this 
message, and muskets were levelled against his boats 
from the mole-head. Upon this, Captain Sutton, of the 
Egmont, pulling out his watch, gave them a quarter 
of an hour to deliberate upon their answer. In five 
minutes after the expiration of that time, the ships, he 
said, would open their fire. Upon this the very sen¬ 
tinels scampered off, and every vessel came out of the 
mole. A shipowner complained to the commodore, 









1796. 


THE EMBARKATION AT BASTIA. 


127 


that the municipality refused to let him take his goods 
out of the custom-house. Nelson directed him to say, 
that unless they were instantly delivered, he would open 
his fire. The committee turned pale ; and, without 
answering a word, gave him the keys. Their last 
attempt was to levy a duty upon the things that were 
re-embarked. He sent them word, that he would pay 
them a disagreeable visit, if there were any more com¬ 
plaints. The committee then finding that they had to 
deal with a man who knew his own power, and was 
determined to make the British name respected, desisted 
from the insolent conduct which they had assumed; 
and it was acknowledged, that Bastia had never been so 
quiet and orderly since the English were in possession 
of it. This was on the 14th of October: during the 
five following days the work of embarkation was carried 
on, the private property was saved, and public stores to 
the amount of 200,000L The French, favoured by the 
Spanish fleet, which was at that time within twelve 
leagues of Bastia, pushed over troops from Leghorn, 
who landed near Cape Corse on the 18th, and on the 
20th, at one in the morning, entered the citadel, an 
hour only after the British had spiked the guns, and 
evacuated it. Nelson embarked at daybreak, being the 
last person who left the shore; having thus, as he said, 
seen the first and the last of Corsica. Provoked at the 
conduct of the municipality, and the disposition which 
the populace had shown to profit by the confusion, he 
turned towards the shore, as he stepped into his boat, 
and exclaimed, “Now, John Corse, follow the natural 
bent of your detestable character—plunder and re¬ 
venue.” This, however, was not Nelson’s deliberate 

O 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


179C 




128 


opinion of the people of Corsica; he knew that their 
vices were the natural consequences of internal anarchy 
and foreign oppression, such as the same causes would 
produce in any people: and when he saw, that of all 
those who took leave of the viceroy, there was not one 
who parted from him without tears, he acknowledged 
that they manifestly acted, not from dislike of the 
English, but from fear of the French. England then 
might, with more reason, reproach her own rulers for 
pusillanimity, than the Corsicans for ingratitude. 

Having thus ably effected this humiliating service, 
Nelson was ordered to hoist his broad pendant on board 
the Minerve frigate. Captain Greorge Cockburn, and, 
with the Blanche under his command, proceed to Porto 
Ferrajo, and superintend the evacuation of that place 
also. On his way, he fell in with two Spanish frigates, 
the Sabina and the Geres. The Minerve engaged the 
former, which was commanded by Don Jacobo Stuart, a 
descendant of the Duke of Berwick. After an action of 
three hours, during which the Spaniards lost 164 men, 
the Sabina struck. The Spanish captain, who was the 
only surviving officer, had hardly been conveyed on 
board the Minerve, when another enemy’s frigate came 
up, compelled her to cast off the prize, and brought her 
a second time to action. After half an hour’s trial of 
strength, this new antagonist wore and hauled off: but 
a Spanish squadron of two ships of the line and two 
frigates came in sight. The Blanche, from which the 
Geres had got off, was far to windward, and the Minerve 
escaped only by the anxiety of the enemy to recover 
their own ship. As soon as Nelson reached Porto 
Ferrajo, he sent his prisoner in a flag of truce to Car- 












1796. 


EXCHANGES PRISONERS WITH THE ENEMY. 


129 



to custom: he was reputed the best officer in Spain, and 
his men were worthy of such a commander.’ By the 
same flag of truce he sent back all the Spanish prisoners 
at Porto Ferrajo, in exchange for whom he received his 
own men who had been taken in the prize. 

K 


thagena, having returned him his sword ; this he did in 
honour to the gallantry which Don Jacobo had displayed, 
and not without some feeling of respect for his ancestrj^. 
“ I felt it,” said he, “ consonant to the dignity of my 
country, and I always act as I feel right, without regard 


engagement between the minerve and THE SABINA. 








13C 


LIFE OF NELSOjS. 


1796. 


General de Burgh, who commanded at the Isle of 
Elba, did not think himself authorised to abandon the 
place, till he had received specific instructions from 
England to that effect; professing that he was unable to 
decide between the contradictory orders of Government, 
or to guess at what their present intentions might be; 
but he said, his only motive for urging delay in this 
measure arose from a desire that his own conduct might 
be properly sanctioned, not from any opinion that Porto 
Ferrajo ought to be retained. But Naples having made 
peace, Sir John Jervis considered his business with Italy 
as concluded; and the protection of Portugal was the 
point to which he was now instructed to attend. Nelson, 
therefore, whose orders were perfectly clear and explicit, 
withdrew the whole naval establishment from that sta¬ 
tion, leaving the transports victualled, and so arranged, 
that all the troops and stores could be embarked in 
three days. He was now about to leave the Mediter¬ 
ranean. Mr. Drake, who had been our minister at 
Genoa, expressed to him, on this occasion, the very high 
opinion which the allies entertained of his conspicuous 
merit; adding, that it was impossible for any one, who 
had the honour of co-operating with him, not to admire 
the activity, talents, and zeal, which he had so emi¬ 
nently and constantly displayed. In fact, during this 
long course of services in the Mediterranean, the whole 
of his conduct had exhibited the same zeal, the same 
indefatigable energy, the same intuitive judgment, the 
same prompt and unerring decision, which characterised 
his after-career of glory. His name was as yet hardly 
known to the English public, but it was feared and 
respected throughout Italy. A letter came to him, 



1797 . 


FALLS IN WITH THE SFANISH FLEET. 


131 


directed, “Horatio Nelson, Genoa:” and the writer, 
when he was asked how he could direct it so vaguely, 
replied, “ Sir, there is but one Horatio Nelson in the 
world.” At Genoa, in particular, where he had so long 
been stationed, and where the nature of his duty first 
led him to continual disputes with the government, and 
afterwards compelled him to stop the trade of the port, 
he was equally respected by the Doge and by the people: 
for, while he maintained the rights and interests of 
Great Britain with becoming firmness, he tempered the 
exercise of power with courtesy and humanity, wherever 
duty would permit. “ Had all my actions,” said he, 
writing at this time to his wife, “ been gazetted, not one 
fortnight would have passed, during the whole war, 
without a letter from me. One day or other I will have 
a long c Gazette ’ to myself. I feel that such an oppor¬ 
tunity will be given me. I cannot, if I am in the field 
of glory, be kept out of sight: wherever there is any¬ 
thing to be done, there Providence is sure to direct my 
steps.” 

These hopes and anticipations were soon to be ful¬ 
filled. Nelson’s mind had long been irritated and de¬ 
pressed by the fear that a general action would take 
place before he could join the fleet. At length he sailed 
from Porto Ferrajo with a convoy for Gibraltar; and 
having reached that place, proceeded to the westward in 
search of the admiral. Off the mouth of the Straits h^ 
fell in with the Spanish fleet; and, on the 13th of Feb¬ 
ruary, reaching the station off Cape St. Vincent, com¬ 
municated this intelligence to Sir John Jervis. He was 
now directed to shift his broad pendant on board the 
Captain, seventy-four, Captain R. VV. Miller; and. 


132 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


before sunset, the signal was made to prepare for action, 
and to keep, during the night, in close order. At day¬ 
break the enemy were in sight. The British force con¬ 
sisted of two ships of one hundred guns, two of ninety- 
eight, two of ninety, eight of seventy-four, and one 
sixty-four : fifteen of the line in all; with four frigates, 
a sloop, and a cutter. The Spaniards had one four- 
decker, of one hundred and thirty-six guns, six three- 
deckers of one hundred and twelve, two eighty-fours, 
eighteen seventy-fours: in all, twenty-seven ships of 
the line, with ten frigates and a brig. Their admiral, 
Don Joseph de Cordova, had learnt from an American, 
on the 5th, that the English had only nine ships, which 
was indeed the case when his informer had seen them ; 
for a reinforcement of five ships from England, under 
Admiral Parker, had not then joined, and the Culloden 
had parted company. Upon this information, the 
Spanish commander, instead of going into Cadiz, as was 
his intention when he sailed from Carthagena, deter¬ 
mined to seek an enemy so inferior in force; and rely¬ 
ing, with fatal confidence, upon the American account, 
he suffered his ships to remain too far dispersed, and in 
some disorder. When the morning of the 14th broke, 
and discovered the English fleet, a fog for some time 
concealed their number. The look-out ship of the 
Spaniards, fancying that her signal was disregarded, 
because so little notice seemed to be taken of it, made 
another signal, that the English force consisted of forty 
sail of the line. The captain afterwards said he did 
this to rouse the admiral: it had the effect of per¬ 
plexing him, and alarming the whole fleet. The ab¬ 
surdity of such an act shows what was the state of the 



1797 


MANOEUVRING OF THE FLEETS. 


133 


Spanish navy under that miserable government, by 
which Spain was so long oppressed and degraded, and 
finally betrayed. In reality, the general incapacity of 
the naval officers was so well known, that in a pasquin 
ade, which about this time appeared at Madrid, wherein 
the different orders of the state were advertised for sale, 
the greater part of the sea-officers, with all their equip¬ 
ments, were offered as a gift; and it was added, that 
any person who would please to take them, should 
receive a handsome gratuity. 

Before the enemy could form a regular order of 
battle, Sir John Jervis, by carrying a press of sail, came 
up with them, passed through their fleet, then tacked, 
and thus cut off nine of their ships from the main body. 
These ships attempted to form on the larboard tack, 
either with a design of passing through the British line, 
or to leeward of it, and thus rejoining their friends. 
Only one of them succeeded in this attempt; and that 
only because she was so covered -with smoke that her 
intention was not discovered till she had reached the 
rear : the others were so warmly received, that they put 
about, took to flight, and did not appear again in the 
action till its close. The admiral was now able to 
direct his attention to the enemy’s main body, which 
was still superior in number to his whole fleet, and 
more so in weight of metal. He made signal to tack in 
succession. Nelson, whose station was in the rear of 
the British line, perceived that the Spaniards were 
bearing up before the wind, with an intention of 
forming their line, going large, and joining their sepa¬ 
rated ships; or else, of getting off without an engage¬ 
ment. To prevent either of these schemes, he disobeyed 


134 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


the signal without a moment’s hesitation, and ordered 
his ship to be wore. This at once brought him into 
action with the Santissima Trinidad, one hundred and 
thirty-six, the San Josef, one hundred and twelve, the 
Salvador del Mundo, one hundred and twelve, the San 
Nicolas 3 eighty, the San Isidro, seventy-four, another 
seventy-four, and another first-rate. Trowbridge, in 
the Culloden, immediately joined, and most nobly sup¬ 
ported him; and for nearly an hour did the Culloden 
and Captain maintain what Nelson called “ this appa¬ 
rently, but not really, unequal contest;”—such was 
the advantage of skill and discipline, and the confidence 
which brave men derive from them. The Blenheim 
then passing between them and the enemy, gave them 
a respite, and poured in her fire upon the Spaniards. 
The Salvador del Mundo and San Isidro dropped 
a-stern, and were fired into, in a masterly style, by the 
Excellent, Captain Collingwood. The San Isidro 
struck; and Nelson thought that the Salvador struck 
also. <c But Collingwood,” says he, “ disdaining the 
parade of taking possession of beaten enemies, most 
gallantly pushed up, with every sail set, to save his old 
friend and messmate, who was, to appearance, in a 
critical situation; ” for the Captain was at this time 
actually fired upon by three first-rates, by the San 
Nicolas, and by a seventy-four, within about pistol-shot 
of that vessel. The Blenheim was ahead, the Culloden 
crippled and a-stern. Collingwood ranged up, and 
hauling up his mainsail just a-stern, passed within ten 
feet of the San Nicolas, giving her a most tremendous 
fire, then passed on for the Santissima Trinidad . 
The San Nicolas luffing up, the San Josef fell on 
















1797. 


BATTLE OFF CAPE ST. VINCENT. 


135 


board her, and Nelson resumed his station abreast 
of them, and close alongside. The Captain was now 
incapable of further service, either in the line or in 
chase : she had lost her foretop-mast; not a sail, shroud, 
or rope, was left, and her wheel was shot away. 
Nelson, therefore, directed Captian Miller to put the 
helm a-starboard, and, calling for the boarders, ordered 
them to board. 

Captain Berry, who had lately been Nelson’s first 
lieutenant, was the first man who leaped into the enemy's 
mizen-chains. Miller, when in the very act of going, 
was ordered by Nelson to*remain.^ Berry was supported 
from the sprit-sail yard, which locked in the San Nico¬ 
las’s main rigging. A soldier of the 69th broke the 
upper quarter-gallery window, and jumped in, followed 
by the commodore himself, and by others as fast as pos¬ 
sible.* The cabin doors were fastened, and the Spanish 
officers fired their pistols at them through the window : 
the doors were soon forced, and the Spanish brigadier 
fell while retreating to the quarter-deck. Nelson pushed 
on, and found Berry in possession of the poop, and the 
Spanish ensign hauling down. He passed on to the 

* The following interesting anecdote has been obligingly commu¬ 
nicated by Captain Miller’s sister, Mrs. Dalrymple :—“ While Captain 
Miller was leading his men to the San Nicolas, Commodore Nelson 
said, ‘No, Miller; I must have that honour;’ and on going into the 
cabin, after the contest, Nelson said, ‘ Miller, I am under the greatest, 
obligations to you,’ and presented him with the Spanish captain’9 
sword; and then, as if he could not sufficiently show his sense of his 
captain’s services, he again expressed his obligations, and drawing a 
ring from his finger, placed it on Captain Miller’s. The ring, rather a 
large topaz, set round with diamonds, and the Spanish officer’s sword, 
are now in the possession of Miss Miller, Captain Miller’s only sur 
viving child.” 


136 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797, 


forecastle, where he met two or three Spanish officers, 
and received their swords. The English were now in 
full possession of every part of the ship; and a fire 
of pistols and musketry opened upon them from the 
admiral’s stern gallery of the San Josef. Nelson 



im 


NELSON BOARDS THE SAN JOSEF. 


having placed sentinels at the different ladders, and 
ordered Captain Miller to send more men into the prize, 
gave orders for boarding that ship from the San Nico¬ 
las. It was done in an instant, he himself leading the 
way, and exclaiming—“ Westminster Abbey, or victory! ” 
Berry assisted him into the main-chains ; and at that 
























P/ICC l 37. 


Neuron receiving the Spanish Admirai.’s Swortv 


















































1797. 


SURRENDER OF THE SPANIARDS. 


1 o7 


moment a Spanish officer looked over the quarter-deck- 
rail, and said they surrendered. It was not long before 
he was on the quarter-deck, where the Spanish captain 
presented to him his sword, and told him the admiral 
was below, dying of his wounds. There, on the quar¬ 
ter-deck of an enemy’s first-rate, he received the swords 
of the officers; giving them, as they were delivered, 
one by one, to William Fearney, one of his old “ Aga- 
memnons,” who, with the utmost coolness, put them 
under his arm. One of his sailors came up, and, with 
an Englishman’s feeling, took him by the hand, saying, 
he might not soon have such another place to do it in, 
and he was heartily glad to see him there. Twenty- 
four of the Captain's men were killed, and fifty-six 
wounded; a fourth part of the loss sustained by the 
whole squadron falling upon this ship. Nelson received 
only a few bruises. 

The Spaniards had still eighteen or nineteen ships, 
which had suffered little or no injury : that part of the 
fleet which had been separated from the main body in 
the morning was now coming up, and Sir John Jervis 
made signal to bring-to. His ships could not have 
formed without abandoning those which they had cap¬ 
tured, and running to leeward : the Captain was lying 
a perfect wreck on board her two prizes; and many 
of the other vessels were so shattered in their masts and 
rigging as to be wholly unmanageable.* The Spanish 

* About fifty years since the Captain lay as a hulk in Hamoaze, 
with the San Josef alongside fitting for sea. In the dead of the night 
the inhabitants of Plymouth Dock were alarmed by a violent cannon¬ 
ade. and the ringing of the Dockyard bell. It was then discovered 
that the Captain had caught fire (through the drunkenness of a petty 


138 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


admiral meantime, according to his official account, 
being altogether undecided in his own opinion re¬ 
specting the state of the fleet, inquired of his captains 
whether it was proper to renew the action: nine of 
them answered explicitly, that it was not; others replied 
that it was expedient to delay the business. The Pelayo, 
and the Principe Conquistador , were the only ships 
that were for fighting. 

As soon as the action was discontinued, Nelson went 
on board the admiral’s ship. Sir John Jervis received 
him on the quarter-deck, took him in his arms, and 
said he could not sufficiently thank him. For this vic¬ 
tory the commander-in-chief was rewarded with the 
title of Earl St. Vincent * Nelson, who, before the 

officer), and was now enveloped in one mass of flame, illuminating tlie 
coasts of Devon and Cornwall for miles on either side. For her own 
safety, as well as that of the ships in the harbour, the San Josef fired 
into her, and ultimately sunk her: thus accomplishing in Plymouth 
Harbour what she was unable to do at Cape St. Vincent. 

* In the official letter of Sir John Jervis, Nelson was not men¬ 
tioned. It is said, that the admiral had seen an instance of the ill 
consequences of such selections, after Lord Howe’s victory; and, 
therefore, would not name any individual, thinking it proper to speak 
to the public only in terms of general approbation. His private 
letter to the First Lord of the Admiralty was, with his consent, pub¬ 
lished, for the first time, in a Life of Nelson, by Mr. Harrison. Here 
it is said, that “ Commodore Nelson, who was in the rear, on the 
starboard tack, took the lead on the larboard, and contributed very 
much to the fortune of the day.” It is also said, that he boarded the 
two Spanish ships successively; but the fact, that Nelson wore with¬ 
out orders, and thus planned as well as accomplished the victory, is 
not explicitly stated. Perhaps it was thought proper to pass over this 
part of his conduct in silence, as a splendid fault: hut such an exam¬ 
ple is not dangerous. The author of the work in which this letter 
was first made public protests against those over-zealous friends, 
“who would make the action rather appear as Nelson’s battle, than 



1797. 


RECEIVES THE ORDER OF THE BATH. 


t3S 


action was known in England, had been advanced to 
the rank of rear-admiral, had the Order of the Bath 
given him. The sword of the Spanish rear-admiral, 
which Sir John Jervis insisted upon his keeping, he 
presented to the mayor and corporation of Norwich, 
saying that he knew no place where it could give him 
or his family more pleasure to have it kept, than in the 
capital city of the county where he was born. The 
freedom of that city was voted him on this occasion. 
But of all the numerous congratulations which he re¬ 
ceived, none could have affected him with deeper de¬ 
light than that which came from his venerable father. 
(( I thank my Grod,” said this excellent man, “ with all 
the power of a grateful soul, for the mercies He has 
most graciously bestowed on me in preserving you. 

that of the illustrious commander-in-chief, who derives from it so 
deservedly his title. No man,” he says, “ ever less needed, or less 
desired, to strip a single leaf from the honoured wreath of any other 
hero, with the vain hope of augmenting his own, than the immortal 
Nelson : no man ever more merited the whole of that which a generous 
nation unanimously presented to Sir J. Jervis, than the Earl of St. 
Vincent.” Certainly Earl St. Vincent well deserved the reward which 
he received; but it is not detracting from his merit to say, that Nelson 
is as fully entitled to as much fame from this action as the com¬ 
mander-in-chief; not because the brunt of the action fell upon him ; 
not because he was engaged with all the four ships which were taken, 
and two of them, it.may almost be said, with his own hand; hut he 
cause the decisive movement which enabled him to perform all this, 
and by which the action became a victory, was executed in neglect of 
orders, upon his own judgment, and at his peril. Earl St. Vincent 
deserved his earldom: but it is not to the honour of those by whom 
titles were distributed in those days, that Nelson never obtained the 
rank of earl for either of those victories which he lived to enjoy, though 
the one was the most complete and glorious in the annals of naval 
history, and the other the most important in its consequences of any 
which was achieved during the whole war. 


140 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797 


Not only my few acquaintance here, but the people in 
general, met me at every corner with such handsome 
words, that I was obliged to retire from the public eye. 
The height of glory to which your professional judg¬ 
ment, united with a proper degree of bravery, guarded 
by Providence, has raised you, few sons, my dear child, 
attain to, and fewer fathers live to see. Tears of joy 
have involuntarily trickled down my furrowed cheeks. 
Who could stand the force of such general congratula¬ 
tion ? The name and services of Nelson have sounded 
throughout this city of Bath—from the common ballad- 
singer to the public theatre.” The good old man con¬ 
cluded by telling him, that the field of glory, in which 
he had so long been conspicuous, was still open, and by 
giving him his blessing. 

Sir Horatio, who had now hoisted his flag as rear- 
admiral of the blue, was sent to bring away the troops 
from Porto Ferrajo: having performed this, he shifted 
his flag to the Theseus. That ship had taken part in 
the mutiny in England, and being just arrived from 
home, some danger was apprehended from the temper 
of the men. This was one reason why Nelson was 
removed to her. He had not been on board many 
weeks before a paper, signed in the name of all the 
ship’s company, was dropped on the quarter-deck, con¬ 
taining these words : “ Success attend Admiral Nelson ! 
Grod bless Captain Miller! We thank them for the 
officers they have placed over us. We are happy and 
comfortable; and will shed every drop of blood in our 
veins to support them ;—and the name of the Theseus 
shall be immortalised as high as her captain’s.” 
Wherever Nelson commanded, the men soon became 














Conflict with a Spanish Launch 


Page 141 


















1797. 


CONFLICT WITH A SPANISH LAUNCH. 


141 


attached to him;—in ten days’ time he would have 
restored the most mutinous ship in the navy to order. 
Whenever an officer fails to win the affections of those 
who are under his command, he may be assured that 
the fault is chiefly in himself. 

While Sir Horatio was in the Theseus , he was em¬ 
ployed in the command of the inner squadron at the 
blockade of Cadiz. During this service, the most 
perilous action occurred in which he was ever engaged. 
Making a night attack upon the Spanish gun-boats, 
his barge was attacked by an armed launch, under their 
commander, Don Miguel Tregoyen, carrying twenty- 
six men. Nelson had with him only his ten bargemen. 
Captain Freeman tie, and his coxswain, John Sykes,* an 
old and faithful follower, who twice saved the life of his 
admiral, by parrying the blows that were aimed at him, 
and, at last, actually interposed his own head to receive 
the blow of a Spanish sabre, which he could not by any 
other means avert;—thus dearly was Nelson beloved. 
This was a desperate service — hand to hand with 
swords: and Nelson always considered that his personal 
courage was more conspicuous on this occasion than on 
any other during his whole life. Notwithstanding the 
great disproportion of numbers, eighteen of the enemy 
were killed, ail the rest wounded, and their launch 
taken. Nelson would have asked for a lieutenancy for 
Sykes, if he had served long enough: his manner and 
conduct, he observed, were so entirely above his situa¬ 
tion, that Nature certainly intended him for a gentle- 

* This gallant fellow was a native of Lincoln, and was frequently 
complimented by the admiral, who called him his “brave Lincoln 
friend.” He was soon after killed by the bursting of a cannon. 


142 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


man: but though he recovered from the dangerous 
wound which he received in this act of heroic attach¬ 
ment, he did not live to profit by the gratitude and 
friendship of his commander. 

Twelve days after this rencontre, Nelson sailed at 
the head of an expedition against Teneriffe. A report 
had prevailed a few months before, that the viceroy of 
Mexico, with the treasure-ships, had put into that 
island. This had led Nelson to meditate the plan of 
an attack upon it, which he communicated to Earl St. 
Vincent. He was perfectly aware of the difficulties of 
the attempt. “I do not,” said he, “ reckon myself 
equal to Blake: but, if I recollect right, he was more 
obliged to the wind coming off the land than to any 
exertions of his own. The approach by sea to the 
anchoring place is under very high land, passing three 
valleys; therefore the wind is either in from the sea, 
or squally with calms from the mountains:” and he 
perceived, that if the Spanish ships were won the object 
would still be frustrated, if the wind did not come off 
shore. The land force, he thought, would render suc¬ 
cess certain; and there were the troops from Elba, with 
all necessary stores and artillery, already embarked. 
“But here,” said he, “soldiers must be consulted; and 
I know, from experience, they have not the same bold¬ 
ness in undertaking a political measure that we have: 
we look to the benefit of our country, and risk our own 
fame every day to serve her;—a soldier obeys his orders, 
and no more.” Nelson’s experience at Corsica justified 
him in his harsh opinion;—he did not live to see the 
glorious days of the British army under Wellington. 
The army from Elba, consisting of 3700 men, would do 


1737. 


EXPEDITION AGAINST SANTA CRUZ. 


143 


the business, he said, in three days, probably in much 
less time; and he would undertake, with a very small 
squadron, to perform the naval part; for though the 
shore was not easy of access, the transports might run 
in and land the troops in one day. 

The report concerning the viceroy was unfounded; 
but a homeward-bound Manilla ship put into Santa 
Cruz at this time, and the expedition was determined 
upon. It was not fitted out upon the scale which 
Nelson had proposed. Four ships of the line, three 
frigates, and the Fox cutter, formed the squadron; and 
he was allowed to choose such ships and officers as he 
thought proper. No troops were embarked : the sea¬ 
men and the marines of the squadron being thought 
sufficient. His orders were, to make a vigorous attack; 
but on no account to land in person, unless his presence 
should be absolutely necessary. The plan was, that 
the boats should land in the night between the fort on 
the N.E. side of Santa Cruz bay and the town, make 
themselves masters of that fort, and then send a sum¬ 
mons to the governor. By midnight, the three frigates, 
having the force on board which was intended for this 
debarkation, approached within three miles of the 
place ; but owing to a strong gale of wind in the offing, 
and a strong current against them in-shore, they were 
not able to get within a mile of the landing place before 
daybreak ; and then they were seen, and their inten¬ 
tion discovered. Trowbridge and Bowen, with Captain 
Oldfield, of the marines, went upon this to consult with 
the admiral what was to be done; and it was resolved 
that the} r should attempt to get possession of the 
heights above the fort. The frigates accordingly 


144 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


IV 97 


landed their men; and Nelson stood in with the line- 
of-battle ships, meaning to batter the fort, for the pur¬ 
pose of distracting the attention of the garrison. A 
calm and contrary current hindered him from getting 
within a league of the shore; and the heights were by 
this time so secured, and manned with such a force, as 
to be judged impracticable. Thus foiled in his plans 
by circumstances of wind and tide, he still considered it 
a point of honour that some attempt should be made 
This was on the 22d of July: he re-embarked his men 
that night, got the ships, on the 24th, to anchor about 
two miles north of the town, and made show as if he 
intended to attack the heights. At six in the evening, 
signal was made for the boats to prepare to proceed on 
the service, as previously ordered. 

When this was done. Nelson addressed a letter to 
the commander - in - chief—the last which was ever 
written with his right hand. f< I shall not,” said he, 
“ enter on the subject, why we are not in possession of 
Santa Cruz. Your partiality will give credit, that all 
has hitherto been done which was possible, but with¬ 
out effect. This night I, humble as I am, command 
the whole, destined to land under the batteries of the 
town: and, to-morrow, my head will probably be 
crowned either with laurel or cypress. I have only to 
recommend Josiah Nisbet to you and my country. 
The Duke of Clarence, should I fall, will, I am con¬ 
fident, take a lively interest for my step-son, on his 
name being mentioned.” Perfectly aware how des- 
peiate a service this was likely to prove, before he left 
the Theseus , he called Lieutenant Nisbet, who had the 
watch on deck, into the cabin, that he might assist in 


1797. 


ATTACK ON SANTA CRUZ. 


145 


arranging and burning bis mother’s letters. Perceiving 
that the young man was armed, he earnestly begged 
him to remain behind. “ Should we both fall, Josiah,” 
said he, “what would become of your poor mother! 
The care of the Theseus falls to you: stay, therefore, 
and take charge of her.” Nisbet replied: “Sir, the ship 
must take care of herself; I will go with you to-night, 
if I never go again.” 

He met his captains at supper on board the Sea¬ 
horse, Captain Freemantle, whose wife, whom he had 
lately married in the Mediterranean, presided at table. 
At eleven o’clock, the boats, containing between 600 
and 700 men, with 180 on board the Fox cutter, and 
from 70 to 80 in a boat which had been taken the day 
before, proceeded in six divisions toward the town, con¬ 
ducted by all the captains of the squadron, except 
Freemantle and Bowen, who attended with Nelson to 
regulate and lead the way to the attack. They were to 
land on the mole, and thence hasten, as fast as possible, 
into the great square; then form, and proceed as should 
be found expedient. They were not discovered till 
about half-past one o’clock, when, being within half 
gun-shot of the landing-place, Nelson directed the boats 
to cast off from each other, give a huzza and push for 
the shore. But the Spaniards were excellently well 
prepared: the alarm-bells answered the huzza, and a 
fire of thirty or forty pieces of cannon, with musquetry 
from one end of the town to the other, opened upon the 
invaders. Nothing, however, could check the intrepidity 
with which they advanced. The night was exceedingly 
dark; most of the boats missed the mole, and went on 
shore through a raging surf, which stove all to the left 

L 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


i4C 


of it. The admiral, Freemantle, Thompson, Bowen, 
and four or five other boats, found the mole: they 
stormed it instantly, and carried it, though it was de¬ 
fended, as they imagined, by four or five hundred men. 
Its guns, which were six-and-twenty pounders, were 
spiked; but such a heavy fire of musquetry and grape 
was kept up from the citadel, and the houses at the 
head of the mole, that the assailants could not advance, 
and nearly all of them were killed or wounded. 

In the act of stepping out of the boat. Nelson 
received a shot through the right elbow, and fell; but, 
as he fell, he caught the sword, which he had just 
drawn, in his left hand, determined never to part with 
it while he lived, for it had belonged to his uncle. Cap¬ 
tain Suckling, and he valued it like a relic. Nisbet, 
who was close to him, placed him at the bottom of the 
boat, and laid his hat over the shattered arm, lest the 
sight of the blood, which gushed out in great abundance, 
should increase his faintness. He then examined the 
wound; and taking some silk handkerchiefs from his 
neck, bound them round tight above the lacerated ves¬ 
sels. Had it not been for this presence of mind in his 
step-son, Nelson must have perished. One of his barge¬ 
men, by name Lovel, tore his shirt into shreds, and 
made a sling with them for the broken limb. They 
then collected five other seamen, by whose assistance 
they succeeded, at length, in getting the boat afloat; 
for it had grounded with the falling tide. Nisbet took 
one of the oars, and ordered the steersman to go close 
under the guns of the battery, that they might be safe 
from its tremendous fire. Hearing his voice. Nelson 
roused himself, and desired to be lifted up in the boat, 



Nelson shot through the Arm 


Pagr T46 
































1797. 


IS SHOT THROUGH THE ARM. 


147 


that he might look about him. Nisbet raised him up ; 
but nothing could be seen, except the firing of the guns 
on shore, and wh^t could be discerned by their flashes 
upon the stormy sea. In a few minutes, a general 
shriek was heard from the crew of the Fox , which had 
received a shot under water, and went down. Ninety- 
seven men were lost in her; eighty-three were saved, 
many by Nelson himself, whose exertions on this occasion 
greatly increased the pain and danger of his wound. 
The first ship which the boat could reach happened to 
be the Seahorse: but nothing could induce him to go 
on board, though he was assured, that if they attempted 
to row to another ship, it might be at the risk of his life. 
“ I had rather suffer death,” he replied, ff than alarm 
Mrs. Freeman tie, by letting her see me in this state, 
when I can give her no tidings whatever of her husband.” 
They pushed on for the Theseus. When they came 
along-side, he peremptorily refused all assistance in get¬ 
ting on board, so impatient was he that the boat should 
return, in hopes that it might save a few more from the 
Fox. He desired to have only a single rope thrown 
over the side, which he twisted round his left hand, say¬ 
ing, 66 Let me alone: I have yet my legs left, and one 
arm. Tell the surgeon to make haste, and get his 
instruments. I know I must lose my right arm; so the 
sooner it is off the better.”* The spirit which he dis¬ 
played, in jumping up the ship’s side, astonished every- 
body. , 

Freemantle had been severely wounded in the right 

* During the peace of Amiens, when Melson was passing through 
Salisbury, and received there with those acclamations which followed 
him everywhere, he recognised, amid the crowd, a man who had as- 





148 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


arm, soon after the admiral. He was fortunate enough 
to find a boat at the beach, and got instantly to his ship, 
Thompson was wounded: Bowen kijled, to the great 
regret of Nelson; as was also one of his own officers, 
Lieutenant Weatherhead, who had followed him from 
the Agamemnon , and whom he greatly and deservedly 
esteemed. Trowbridge, meantime, fortunately for his 
party, missed the mole in the darkness, but pushed on 
shore under the batteries, close to the south end of the 
citadel. Captain Waller, of the Emerald, and two or 
three other boats, landed at the same time. The surf 
was so nigh, that many others put back. The boats 
were instantly filled with water, and stove against the 
rocks ; and most of the ammunition in the men’s pouches 
was wetted. Having collected a few men, the} 7 " pushed 
on to the great square, hoping there to find the admiral, 
and the rest of the force. The ladders were all lost, so 
that they could make no immediate attempt on the 
citadel; but they sent a sergeant, with two of the town’s 
people, to summon it: this messenger never returned; 
and Trowbridge having waited about an hour, in pain¬ 
ful expectation of his friends, marched to join Captains 
Hood and Miller, who had effected their landing to the 
south-west. They then endeavoured to procure some 
intelligence of the admiral and the rest of the officers, 
but without success. By daybreak they had gathered 

sisted at the amputation, and attended him afterwards. He beckoned 
him up the stairs of the Council House, shook hands with him, and 
made him a present, in remembrance of his sendees at that time. 
The man took from his bosom a piece of lace, which he had tom 
from the sleeve of the amputated limb, saying he had preserved, 
and would preserve, it to the last moment, in memory of his old com¬ 
mander. 


1797. 


FAILURE OF THE ATTACK. 


149 


together about eighty marines, eighty pikemen, and one 
hundred and eighty small-arm seamen ; all the survivors 
of those who had made good their landing. They 
obtained some ammunition from the prisoners whom 
they had taken; and marched on, to try what could be 
done at the citadel without ladders. They found all 
the streets commanded by field-pieces, and several 
thousand Spaniards, with about a hundred French, 
under arms, approaching by every avenue. Finding 
himself without provisions, the powder wet, and no pos¬ 
sibility of obtaining either stores or reinforcements from 
the ships, the boats being lost, Trowbridge, with great 
presence of mind, sent Captain Samuel Hood with a 
flag of truce to the governor, to say he was prepared to 
burn the town, and would instantly set fire to it, if the 
Spaniards approached one inch nearer:—This, however, 
if he were compelled to do it, he should do with regret, 
for he had no wish to injure the inhabitants: and he 
was ready to treat upon these terms,—that the British 
troops should re-embark, with all their arms, of every 
kind, and take their own boats, if they were saved, or 
be provided with such others as might be wanting; they, 
on their part, engaging that the squadron should not 
molest the town, nor any of the Canary Islands: all 
prisoners on both sides to be given up. When these 
terms were proposed, the governor made answer, that 
the English ought to surrender as prisoners of war : but 
Captain Hood replied, he was instructed to say, that if 
the terms were not accepted in five minutes. Captain 
Trowbridge would set the town on fire, and attack the 
Spaniards at the point of the bayonet. Satisfied with 
his success, which was indeed sufficiently complete, and 


150 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


respecting, like a brave and honourable man, the gal¬ 
lantry of his enemy, the Spaniard acceded to the pro¬ 
posal. “ And here,” says Nelson in his journal, “ it is 
right we should notice the noble and generous conduct 
of Don Juan Antonio Grutierrez, the Spanish governor. 
The moment the terms were agreed to, he directed our 
wounded men to be received into the hospitals, and all 
our people to be supplied with the best provisions that 
could be procured; and made it known, that the ships 
were at liberty to send on shore, and purchase whatever 
refreshments they were in want of during the time they 
might be off the island.” A youth, by name Don Ber¬ 
nardo Collagon, stript himself of his shirt, to make 
bandages for one of those Englishmen against whom, 
not an hour before, he had been engaged in battle. 
Nelson wrote to thank the governor for the humanity 
which he had displayed. Presents were interchanged 
between them. Sir Horatio offered to take charge of his 
despatches for the Spanish government; and thus actually 
became the first messenger to Spain of his own defeat. 

The total loss of the English, in killed, wounded, 
and drowned, amounted to 250. Nelson made no men¬ 
tion of his own wound in his official despatches ; but in 
a private letter to Lord St. Vincent—the first which he 
wrote with his left hand—he shows himself to have 
been deeply affected by the failure of this enterprise. 
<tf I am become,” he said, “ a burthen to my friends, 
and useless to my country: but by my last letter you 
will perceive my anxiety for the promotion of my step¬ 
son, Josiah Nisbet. When I leave your command, I 
become dead to the world: — c I go hence, and am no 
more seen.’ If from poor Bowen’s loss you think it 


1797. HIS REGRET AT THE FAILURE OF THE ENTERPRISE. 151 

proper to oblige me, I rest confident you will do it. 
The boy is under obligations to me ; but he repaid me, 
by bringing me from the mole of Santa Cruz. I hope 
you will be able to give me a frigate, to convey the 
remains of my carcass to England.” — “A left-handed 
admiral,” he said in a subsequent letter, “ will never 
again be considered as useful; therefore, the sooner I 
get to a very humble cottage the better; and make 
room for a sounder man to serve the state.” His first 
letter to Lady Nelson was written under the same 
opinion, but in a more cheerful strain. “ It was the 
chance of war,” said he, “ and I have great reason to be 
thankful: and I know it will add much to your pleasure 
to find that Josiah, under Grod’s providence, was prin¬ 
cipally instrumental in saving my life. I shall not be 
surprised if I am neglected and forgotten : probably I 
shall no longer be considered as useful: however, I shall 
feel rich if I continue to enjoy your affection. I beg 
neither you nor my father will think much of this mishap: 
—my mind has long been made up to such an event.” 

His step-son, according to his wish, was imme¬ 
diately promoted; and honours enough to heal his 
wounded spirit awaited him in England. Letters were 
addressed to him by the First Lord of the Admiralty, and 
by his steady friend, the Duke of Clarence, to con¬ 
gratulate him on his return, covered as he was with 
glory. He assured the duke, in his reply, that not a 
scrap of that ardour with which he had hitherto served 
his king had been shot away. The freedom of the 
cities of Bristol and London were conferred on him : 
he was invested with the Order of the Bath; and 
received a pension of 1000 1. a-year. The memorial 


152 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1797. 


which, as a matter of form, he was called upon to 
present on this occasion, exhibited an extraordinary 
catalogue of services performed during the war. It 
stated, that he had been in four actions with the fleets 
of the enemy, and in three actions with boats employed 
in cutting out of harbour, in destroying vessels, and in 
taking three towns: he had served on shore with the 
army four months, and commanded the batteries at the 
sieges of Bastia and Calvi; he had assisted at the 
capture of seven sail of the line, six frigates, four cor¬ 
vettes, and eleven privateers: taken and destroyed 
nearly fifty sail of merchant vessels ; and actually been 
engaged against the enemy upwards of one hundred and 
twenty times; in which service he had lost his right 
eye and right arm, and been severely wounded and 
bruised in his body. 

His sufferings from the lost limb were long and 
painful. A nerve had been taken up in one of the 
ligatures at the time of the operation ; and the ligature, 
according to the practice of the French surgeons, was of 
silk, instead of waxed thread: this produced a constant 
irritation and discharge; and the ends of the ligature 
being pulled every da}q in hopes of bringing it away, 
occasioned fresh agony. He had scarcely any inter¬ 
mission of pain, day or night, for three months after his 
return to England. Lady Nelson, at his earnest request, 
attended the dressing of his arm, till she had acquired 
sufficient resolution and skill to dress it herself. One 
night, during this state of suffering, after a day of 
constant pain, Nelson retired early to bed, in hope of 
enjoying some respite by means of laudanum. He was 
at that time lodging in Bond Street; and the family 




KA€ S 3 :MI 1 E of LORO KELSONS hand writing at different periods 

Vu j\ Vv-^v—^ yv t eVL Vv- ^ 

v\ J V\— l _r v~— . Vy' L. t- 


it 


(M^A/V 4A/\ 


rl < 

^ r VwA 



<\y 


Nf 


_ ^ oA> vJv^. 

: A^ vx ' / 't^T c/y^S wv/w/W (VV ;s ^ Vy- *>TV 

r w M (5b ^ ^ '1 *3 W- Vw 

^ (Ti, ,<4 <iw , to ^*yy 

U,W^V^h-:i 

wv<f *. -5U0V.V y- jy ^ 

rf ^?.V^' w V1 (L- W W) 

»v ' o ^ 

Uvo • ! 




V 





vWl/\ 


J^T<Tw 












1779. 


SUFFERINGS FROM HIS WOUND — RECOVERY. 


153 


was soon disturbed by a mob knocking loudly and 
violently at the door. The news of Duncan’s victory 
had been made public, and the house was not illumin¬ 
ated. But when the mob were told that Admiral 
Nelson lay there in bed, badly wounded, the foremost 
of them made answer: <e You shall hear no more from 
us to-night; ” and, in fact, the feeling of respect and 
sympathy was communicated from one to another with 
such effect, that, under the confusion of such a night, 
the house was not molested again. 

About the end of November, after a night of sound 
sleep, he found the arm nearly free from pain : the sur¬ 
geon was immediately sent for, to examine it; and the 
ligature came away with the slightest touch. From 
that time it began to heal. As soon as he thought his 
health established, he sent the following form of thanks¬ 
giving to the minister of St. Greorge’s, Hanover Square: 
“ An officer desires to return thanks to Almighty Grod 
for his perfect recovery from a severe wound, and also 
for the many mercies bestowed on him.” 

Not having been in England till now, since he lost 
his eye, he went to receive a year’s pay, as smart 
money; but could not obtain payment, because he had 
neglected to bring a certificate from a surgeon, that the 
sight was actually destroyed. A little irritated that 
this form should be insisted upon ; because, though the 
fact was not apparent, he thought it was sufficiently 
notorious, he procured a certificate, at the same time, 
for the loss of his arm; saying, they might just as well 
doubt one as the other. This put him in good humour 
with himself, and with the clerk who had offended him. 
On his return to the office, the clerk, finding it was 


154 


LIFE OF NELSON 


1797, 


only the annual pay of a captain, observed, he thought 
it had been more. " Oh! ” replied Nelson, "this is 
only for an eye. In a few days I shall come for an arm; 
and in a little time longer, God knows, most probably 
for a leg.” Accordingly, he soon afterwards went; and 
with perfect good humour exhibited the certificate of 
the loss of his arm. 

























CONTENTS OF CHAPTER V. 

Nelson hoists his Flag in the Vanguard , and joins Earl St. 
Vincent—Is despatched to the Mediterranean—Encounters a 
Gale in the Gulf of Lyons—His Reflections on the consequent 
Disasters—Refits at St. Pietro—Is reinforced, and sails in 
search of the French Fleet—Returns to Sicily, and victuals at 
Syracuse—Sails again for Egypt—Finds the French Fleet in 
Aboukir Bay—His Plan of Attack — Battle of the Nile—Is 
wounded in the Head—Blowing up of U Orient —The result of 
the Battle a Conquest, not a Victory—His expression of regret 
at the want of Frigates—Sends Intelligence of the Victory to 
India—Honours conferred upon him—His Exertions on behalf 
of his Officers and Men —His disposal of the Prizes—Sets out 
on his Return to Naples. 



























. 




. 














































Early in the year 1798, Sir Horatio Nelson hoisted his 
flag in the Vanguard , and was ordered to rejoin Earl 
St. Vincent. Upon his departure, his father addressed 
him with that affectionate solemnity by which all his 
letters were distinguished. “ I trust in the Lord,” said 
he, “that He will prosper your going out and your 
coming in. I earnestly desired once more to see you, 
and that wish has been heard. If I should presume to 
say, I hope to see you again, the question would be 
readily asked. How old art thou ? Vale! vale! Domine, 
vale! ” It is said that a gloomy foreboding hung on 
the spirits of Lady Nelson at their parting. This could 











































158 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


have arisen only from the dread of losing him by the 
chance of war. Any apprehension of losing his affec¬ 
tions could hardly have existed; for all his correspon¬ 
dence to this time shows that he thought himself happy 
in his marriage; and his private character had hitherto 
been as spotless as his public conduct. One of the last 
things he said to her was, that his own ambition was 
satisfied, but that he went to raise her to that rank in 
which he had long wished to see her. 

Immediately on his rejoining the fleet, he was de 
spatched to the Mediterranean, with a small squadron, 
in order to ascertain, if possible, the object of the great 
expedition which at that time was fitting out, under 
Bonaparte, at Toulon. The defeat of this armament, 
whatever might be its destination, was deemed by the 
British government an object paramount to every other; 
and Earl St. Vincent was directed, if he thought it 
necessary, to take his whole force into the Mediter¬ 
ranean, to relinquish, for that purpose, the blockade of 
the Spanish fleet, as a thing of inferior moment: but, if 
he should deem a detachment sufficient, “ I think it 
almost unnecessary, 5 ’ said the First Lord of the Ad¬ 
miralty, in his secret instructions, “to suggest to you 
the propriety of putting it under Sir Horatio Nelson.” 
It is to the honour of Earl St. Vincent, that he had 
already made the same choice. 

The British government at this time, with a be¬ 
coming spirit, gave orders, that any port in the Medi¬ 
terranean should be considered as hostile, where the 
governor or chief magistrate should refuse to let our 
ships of war procure supplies of provisions, or of any 
article which they might require. 


.798. 


ENCOUNTERS A GALE. 


159 


The armament at Toulon consisted of thirteen ships 
of the line, seven forty-gun frigates, with twenty-four 
smaller vessels of war, and nearly 200 transports. Mr. 
Udney, our consul at Leghorn, was the first person who 
procured certain intelligence of the enemy’s design 
against Malta; and, from his own sagacity, foresaw 
that Egypt must be their after-object. Nelson sailed 
from Gibraltar on the 9th of May, with the Vanguard, 
Orion , and Alexander, seventy-fours; the Caroline, 
Flora, Emerald, and Terpsichore frigates; and the 
Bonne Citoyenne sloop of war, to watch this formidable 
armament. On the 19th, when they were in the Gulf 
of Lyons, a gale came on from the N.W. It moderated 
so much on the 20th, as to enable them to get their 
top-gallant-masts and yards aloft. After dark, it again 
began to blow strong : but the ships had been prepared 
for a gale, and therefore Nelson’s mind was easy. 
Shortly after midnight, however, his main-top-mast 
went over the side, and the mizen-top-mast soon after¬ 
wards. The night was so tempestuous, that it was 
impossible for any signal either to be seen or heard; 
and Nelson determined, as soon as it should be day¬ 
break, to wear, and scud before the gale: but at half¬ 
past three the foremast went in three pieces, and the 
bowsprit was found to be sprung in three places. 

When day broke, they succeeded in wearing the 
ship with a remnant of the sprit-sail: this was hardly to 
have been expected: the Vanguard was at that time 
twenty-five leagues south of the islands of Hieres, with 
her head lying to the N.E., and if she had not wore, the 
ship must have drifted to Corsica. Captain Ball, in the 
Alexander, took her in tow, to carry her into the Sar- 


1G0 


LIFE OF NELSON. 



GALE IN THE GULP OF LYONS. 


dinian harbour of St. Pietro. Nelson, apprehensive 
that this attempt might endanger both vessels, ordered 
him to cast off: but that excellent officer, with a spiiit 
like his commander’s, replied, he was confident he could 
save the Vanguard , and by (rod’s help he would do it. 
There had been a previous coolness between these great 
men; but from this time Nelson became fully sensible 
of the extraordinary talents of Captain Ball, and a sin¬ 
cere friendship subsisted between them during the re¬ 
mainder of their lives. “ I ought not,” said the admiral, 
writing to his wife, c< I ought not to call what has hap¬ 
pened to the Vanguard by the cold name of accident: 
I believe firmly it was the Almighty’s goodness, to check 
my consummate vanity. I hope it has made me a 





1798. HIS REFLECTION ON HIS DISASTERS. 161 

better officer, as I feel confident it has made me a better 
man. Figure to yourself, on Sunday evening, at sun¬ 
set, a vain man walking in his cabin, with a squadron 
around him, who looked up to their chief to lead them 
to glory, and in whom their chief placed the firmest 
reliance that the proudest ships of equal numbers be¬ 
longing to France would have lowered their flags;— 
figure to yourself, on Monday morning, when the sun 
rose, this proud man, his ship dismasted, his fleet dis¬ 
persed, and himself in such distress, that the meanest 
frigate out of France would have been an unwelcome 
guest.” Nelson had, indeed, more reason to refuse the 
cold name of accident to this tempest than he was then 
aware of; for on that very day the French fleet sailed 
from Toulon, and must have passed within a few leagues 
of his little squadron, which was thus preserved by the 
thick weather that came on. 

In the orders of the British government to consider 
all ports as hostile where the British ships should be 
refused supplies, the ports of Sardinia were excepted. 
The Continental possessions of the King of Sardinia 
were at this time completely at the mercy of the 
French, and that prince was now discovering, when too 
late, that the terms to which he had consented, for the 
purpose of escaping immediate danger, necessarily in¬ 
volved the loss of the dominions which they were 
intended to preserve. The citadel of Turin was now 
occupied by French troops; and his wretohed court 
feared to afford the common rights of humanity to 
British ships, lest it should give the French occasion to 
seize on the remainder of his dominions:—a measure 
for which, it was certain, they would soon make a pre- 

M 



162 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


text, if they did not find one. Nelson was informed, 
that he could not be permitted to enter the port of St. 
Pietro. Kegardless of this interdict, which, under his 
circumstances, it would have been an act of suicidal 
folly to have regarded, he anchored in the harbour; 
and, by the exertions of Sir James Saumarez, Captain 
Ball, and Captain Berry, the Vanguard was refitted in 
four days; months would have been employed in re¬ 
fitting her in England. Nelson, with that proper sense 
of merit wherever it was found, which proved at once 
the goodness and the greatness of his character, espe¬ 
cially recommended to Earl St. Vincent the carpenter 
of the Alexander , under whose direction the ship had 
been repaired; stating, that he was an old and faithful 
servant of the crown, who had been nearly thirty years 
a warrant carpenter; and begging most earnestly that 
the commander-in-chief would recommend him to the 
particular notice of the Board of Admiralty. He did 
not leave the harbour without expressing his sense of 
the treatment which he had received there, in a letter 
to the viceroy of Sardinia. “Sir,” it said, “having, 
by a gale of wind, sustained some trifling damages, I 
anchored a small part of his Majesty’s fleet under my 
orders off this island, and was surprised to hear, by an 
officer sent by the governor, that admittance was to be 
refused to the flag of his Britannic Majesty into this 
port. When I reflect, that my most gracious sovereign 
is the oldest, I believe, and certainly the most faithful, 
ally which the King of Sardinia ever had, I could feel 
the sorrow which it must have been to his Majesty to 
have given such an order; and also for your excellency, 
who had to direct its execution. I cannot but look at 


1798. 


IS REINFORCED BY THE ADMIRAL. 


163 


the African shore, where the followers of Mohammed 
are performing the part of the good Samaritan, which 
I look for in vain at St. Peter’s, where it is said the 
Christian religion is professed.” 

The delay which was thus occasioned was useful 
to him in many respects: it enabled him to complete 
his supply of water, and to receive a reinforcement, 
which Earl St. Vincent, being himself reinforced from 
England, was enabled to send him. It consisted of the 
best ships of his fleet: the Culloden, seventy-four. 
Captain T. Trowbridge; Goliath , seventy-four, Captain 
T. Foley; Minotaur , seventy-four, Captain T. Louis; 
Defence , seventy-four, Captain J. Peyton; Bellerophon, 
seventy-four, Captain H. D. E. Darby; Majestic , seventy- 
four, Captain Gr. B. Westcott; Zealous , seventy-four, 
Captain S. Hood; Swift sure, seventy-four, Captain B. 
Hallowell; Theseus, seventy-four, Captain E. W. Miller; 
Audacious, seventy-four, Captain Davidge Grould. The 
Leander, fifty, Captain T. B. Thompson, was afterwards 
added. These ships were made ready for the service 
as soon as Earl St. Vincent received advice from 
England that he was to be reinforced. As soon as the 
reinforcement was seen from the mast-head of the 
admiral’s ship, off Cadiz Bay, signal was immediately 
made to Captain Trowbridge to put to sea; and he was 
out of sight before the ships from home cast anchor in 
the British station. Trowbridge took with him no in¬ 
structions to Nelson as to the course he was to steer, 
nor any certain account of the enemy’s destination : 
everything was left to his own judgment. Unfor¬ 
tunately, the frigates had been separated from him in 
the tempest, and had not been able to rejoin: they 


164 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


sought him unsuccessfully in the Bay of Naples, where 
they obtained no tidings of his course: and he sailed 
without them. 

The first news of the enemy’s armament was, that 
it had surprised Malta. Nelson formed a plan for 
attacking it while at anchor at Gfozo: but on the 22d 
of June intelligence reached him that the French had 
left that island on the 16th, the day after their arrival. 
It was clear that their destination was eastward—he 
thought for Egypt—and for Egypt, therefore, he made 
all sail. Had the frigates been with him he could 
scarcely have failed to gain information of the enemy: 
for want of them, he only spoke three vessels on the 
way; two came from Alexandria, one from the Archi¬ 
pelago ; and neither of them had seen anything of the 
French. He arrived off Alexandria on the 28th, and 
the enemy were not there, neither was there any 
account of them; but the governor was endeavouring 
to put the city in a state of defence, having received 
advice from Leghorn, that the French expedition was 
intended against Egypt, after it had taken Malta. 
Nelson then shaped his course to the northward, for 
Caramania, and steered from thence along the southern 
side of Candia, carrying a press of sail, both night and 
day, with a contrary wind. It would have been his 
delight, he said, to have tried Bonaparte on a wind. 
It would have been the delight of Europe, too, and 
the blessing of the world, if that fleet had been over¬ 
taken with its general on board. But of the myriads 
and millions of human beings who would have been 
preserved by that day’s victory, there is not one to 
whom such essential benefit would have resulted, as to 


*798. 


SEARCH FOR THE FRENCH FLEET. 


166 


Bonaparte himself. It would have spared him his 
defeat at Acre—his only disgrace; for to have been 
defeated by Nelson upon the seas would not have been 
disgraceful; and it would have spared him all his after 
enormities. Hitherto his career had been glorious; the 
baneful principles of his heart had never yet passed his 
lips; history would have represented him as a soldier 
of fortune, who had faithfully served the cause in which 
he engaged; and whose career had been distinguished 
by a series of successes, unexampled in modern times. 
A romantic obscurity would have hung over the expe¬ 
dition to Egypt, and he would have escaped the per¬ 
petration of those crimes which have incarnadined his 
soul with a deeper dye than that of the purple for which 
he committed them—those acts of perfidy, midnight 
murder, usurpation, and remorseless tyranny, which 
have consigned his name to universal execration, now 
and for ever. 

Conceiving that when an officer is not successful in 
his plans, it is absolutely necessary that he should 
explain the motives upon which they were founded, 
Nelson wrote at this time an account and vindication of 
his conduct for having carried the fleet to Egypt. The 
objection which he anticipated was, that he ought not 
to ha,ve made so long a voyage without more certain 
information. “My answei,” said he, “is ready—Who 
was I to get it from ? The governments of Naples and 
Sicily either knew not, or chose to keep me in ignorance. 
Was 1 to wait patiently until I heard certain accounts ? 
If Egypt were their object, before I could hear of them 
they would have been in India. To do nothing was 
disgraceful; therefore I made u se of my understanding. 


166 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


I am before your lordships’ judgment; and if, under 
all circumstances, it is decided that I am wrong, I 
ought, for the sake of our country, to be superseded; 
for at this moment, when I know the French are not 
in Alexandria, I hold the same opinion as off Cape 
Passaro—that, under all circumstances, I was right in 
steering for Alexandria: and by that opinion I must 
stand or fall.” Captain Ball, to whom he showed this 
paper, told him, he should recommend a friend never 
to begin a defence of his conduct before he was accused 
of error: he might give the fullest reasons for what he 
had done, expressed in such terms as would evince that 
he had acted from the strongest conviction of being 
right; and of course he must expect that the public 
would view it in the same light. Captain Ball judged 
rightly of the public, whose first impulses, though from 
want of sufficient information they must frequently be 
erroneous, are generally founded upon just feelings. 
But the public are easily misled, and there are always 
persons ready to mislead them. Nelson had not yet 
attained that fame which compels envy to be silent; 
and when it was known in England that he had re¬ 
turned after an unsuccessful pursuit, it was said that 
he deserved impeachment ; and Earl St. Vincent was 
severely censured for having sent so young an officer 
upon so important a service. 

Baffled in his pursuit, he returned to Sicily. The 
Neapolitan ministry had determined to give his squadron 
no assistance, being resolved to do nothing which could 
possibly endanger their peace with the French Direc¬ 
tory ; by means, however, of Lady Hamilton’s influence 
at court, he procured secret orders to the Sicilian 


THE FLEET VICTUALS AT SYRACUSE 


< r 

a 4 


98 . 


I G7 



governors ; and, under those orders, obtained every¬ 
thing which he wanted at Syracuse:—a timely supply; 
without which, he always said, he could not have 
recommenced his pursuit with any hope of success. 
e< It is an old saying,” said he in his letter, that the 
devil’s children have the devil’s luck. I cannot to this 
moment learn, beyond vague conjecture, where the 
French fleet are gone to: and having gone a round of 
six hundred leagues at this season of the year, with an 
expedition incredible, here I am, as ignorant of the 






































168 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1793. 


situation of the enemy as I was twenty-seven days ago. 

Every moment I have to regret the frigates having left 

me; had one half of them been with me, I could not 

have wanted information. Should the French be so 

strongly secured in port that I cannot get at them, I 

shall immediately shift my flag into some other ship, 

and send the Vanguard to Naples to be refitted; for 

hardly any person but myself would have continued on 

service so long in such a wretched state.” Vexed, 

however, and disappointed as he was. Nelson, with the 

true spirit of a hero, was full of hope. “ Thanks to 

your exertions,” said he, writing to Sir William and 

Lady Hamilton, “we have victualled and watered ; and 

surely, watering at the fountain of Arethusa, we must 

have victory. We shall sail with the first breeze; and 

be assured I will return either crowned with laurel or 

» 

covered with cypress.” Earl St. Vincent he assured, 
that if the French were above water he would find 
them out:—he still held his opinion that they were 
bound for Egypt: “but,” said he to the First Lord of 
the Admiralty, “ be they bound to the antipodes, your 
lordship may rely that I will not lose a moment in 
bringing them to action.” 

On the 25th of July he sailed from Syracuse for 
the Morea. Anxious beyond measure, and irritated 
that the enemy should so long have eluded him, the 
tediousness of the nights made him impatient; and the 
officer of the watch was repeatedly called on to let 
him know the hour, and convince him, who measured 
time by his own eagerness, that it was not yet day¬ 
break. The squadron made the gulf of Coron on the 
28th. Trowbridge entered the port, and returned with 


1798. 


FINDS THE FRENCH FLEET AT ALEXANDRIA. 


169 


intelligence that the French had been seen about four 
weeks before steering to the S.E. from Candia. Nelson 
then determined immediately to return to Alexandria, 
and the British fleet accordingly, with every sail set, 
stood once more for the coast of Egypt. On the 1st of 
August, about ten in the morning, they came in sight 
of Alexandria; the port had been vacant and solitary 
when they saw it last; it was now crowded with ships, 
and they perceived with exultation that the tri-colour 
flag was flying upon the walls. At four in the after¬ 
noon, Captain Hood, in the Zealous , made the signal 
for the enemy’s fleet. For many preceding days Nelson 
had hardly taken either sleep or food: he now ordered 
his dinner to be served, while preparations were making 
for battle; and when his officers rose from the table, 
and went to their separate stations, he said to them: 
“ Before this time to-morrow, I shall have gained a 
peerage or Westminster Abbey.” 

The French, steering direct for Candia, had made 
an angular passage for Alexandria; whereas Nelson, in 
pursuit of them, made straight for that place, and thus 
materially shortened the distance. The comparative 
smallness of his force made it necessary to sail in close 
order, and it covered a less space than it would have 
done if the frigates had been with him : the weather 
also was constantly hazy. These circumstances pre¬ 
vented the English from discovering the enemy on the 
way to Egypt, though it appeared, upon examining the 
journals of the French officers taken in the action, that 
the two fleets must actually have crossed on the night 
of the 22d of June. During the return to Syracuse, 
the chances of falling in with them were fewer. 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


:70 


Why Bonaparte, having effected his landing, should 
not have suffered the fleet to return, has never yet been 
explained. Thus much is certain, that it was detained 
by his command; though, with his accustomed false¬ 
hood, he accused Admiral Brueys, after that officer’s 
death, of having lingered on the coast, contrary tc 
orders. The French fleet arrived at Alexandria on the 
1st of July; and Brueys, not being able to enter the 
port, which time and neglect had ruined, moored his 
ships in Aboukir Bay, in a strong and compact line of 
battle; the headmost vessel, according to his own ac¬ 
count, being as close as possible to a shoal on the N.W., 
and the rest of the fleet forming a kind of curve along 
the line of deep water, so as not to be turned by any 
means in the S.W. By Bonaparte’s desire, he had 
offered a reward of 10,000 livres to any pilot of the 
country who would carry the squadron in; but none 
could be found who would venture to take charge of a 
single vessel drawing more than twenty feet. He had, 
therefore, made the best of his situation, and chosen the 
strongest position which he could possibly take in an 
open road. The commissary of the fleet said, they 
were moored in such a manner as to bid defiance to 
a force more than double their own. This presumption 
coui i not then be thought unreasonable. Admiral 
Barrington, when moored in a similar manner off St. 
Lucia, in the year 1778, beat off the Comte d’Estaign 
in three several attacks, though his force was inferior 
by almost one-third to that which assailed it. Here, the 
advantage of numbers, both in ships, guns, and men, 
was in favour of the French. They had thirteen ships 
of the line and four frigates, carrying 1196 guns, and 


1798. PROPOSES TO DOUBLE ON THE FRENCH FLEET. 


171 


11,230 men. The English had the same number of 
ships of the line, and one fifty-gun ship, carrying 1012 
guns and 8068 men. The English ships were all 
seventy-fours; the French had three eighty-gun ships, 
and one three-decker of 120. 

During the whole pursuit, it had been Nelson’s prac¬ 
tice, whenever circumstances would permit, to have his 
captains on board the Vanguard , and explain to them 
nis own ideas of the different and best modes of attack, 
and such plans as he proposed to execute, on falling in 
with the enemy, whatever their situation might be. 
There is no possible position, it is said, which he did not 
take into calculation. His officers were thus fully ac¬ 
quainted with his principles of tactics: and such was his 
confidence in their abilities, that the only thing deter¬ 
mined upon, in case they should find the French at 
anchor, was for the ships to form as most convenient 
for their mutual support, and to anchor by the stern. 
“ First gain the victory,” he said, “ and then make the 
best use of it you can.” The moment he perceived the 
position of the French, that intuitive genius with which 
Nelson was endowed displayed itself; and it instantly 
struck him, that where there was room for an enemy’s 
ship to swing, there was room for one of ours to anchor. 
The plan which he intended to pursue, therefore, was to 
keep entirely on the outer side of the French line, and 
station his ships, as far as he was able, one on the outer 
bow, and another on the outer quarter, of each of the 
enemy’s. This plan of doubling on the enemy’s ships 
was projected by Lord Hood, when he designed to attack 
the French fleet at their anchorage in Gmirjean road. 
Lord Hood found it impossible to make the attempt ; 


372 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


but the thought was not lost upon Nelson, who acknow¬ 
ledged himself, on this occasion, indebted for it to his 
old and excellent commander. Captain Berry, when 
he comprehended the scope of the design, exclaimed 
with transport, “ If we succeed, what will the world 
say!” — “There is no if in the case,” replied the ad¬ 
miral : “ that we shall succeed, is certain : who may live 
to tell the story, is a very different question.” 

As the squadron advanced, they were assailed by 
a shower of shot and shells from the batteries on the 
island, and the enemy opened a steady fire from the 
starboard side of their whole line, within half gun-shot 
distance, full into the bows of our van ships. It was 
received in silence, the men on board every ship were 
employed aloft in furling sails, and below in tending 
the braces, and making ready for anchoring. A miser¬ 
able sight for the French ; who, with all their skill, and 
all their courage, and all their advantages of numbers 
and situation, were upon that element on which, when 
the hour of trial comes, a Frenchman has no hope. 
Admiral Brueys was a brave and able man; yet the 
indelible character of his country broke out in one ot 
his letters, wherein he delivered it as his private opinion, 
that the English had missed him, because, not being 
superior in force, they did not think it prudent to try 
their strength with him.—The moment was now come 
in which he was to be undeceived. 

A French brig was instructed to decoy the English, 
by manoeuvring so as to tempt them toward a shoal 
lying off the island of Bequieres; but Nelson either 
knew the danger, or suspected some deceit ; and the 
lure was unsuccessful. Captain Foley led the way in 


























1798 , 


BATTLE OF THE NILE 


173 


the Goliath, outsailing the Zealous, which for some 
minutes disputed this post of honour with him.* He 
had long conceived that if the enemy were moored in 
line of battle in with the land, the best plan of attack 


* The following statement of the English and French line of battle 
is extracted from the official despatches: — 


ENGLISH LINE OF BATTLE, NILE. 



Ships’ Names. 

Captains. 

Guns. Men. 


14. Culloden ... 

... T. Trowbridge. 

... 74 

590 


4. Theseus 

... R. W. Miller . 

... 74 

590 


7 Alexander... 

... Alexander J. Ball. 

... 74 

590 


8. Vanguard ... 

( R. Ad. Sir H. Nelson, K.B. 
(Edward Berry 

} 74 

595 


9. Minotaur ... 

... Thomas Louis. 

... 74 

640 


6. Leander 

... T. B. Thompson . 

... 50 

343 


11. Swiftsure ... 

... B. Hallowell . 

... 74 

590 


1. Audacious... 

... Davidge Gould . 

... 74 

590 


10. Defence 

... John Peyton . 

... 74 

590 


2. Zealous 

... Samuel Hood. 

... 74 

590 


5. Orion. 

... Sir James Saumarez ... 

... 74 

590 


3. Goliath 

... Thomas Foley. 

... 74 

590 


13. Majestic ... 

... George B. Westcoit 

... 74 

590 


12. Bellerophon ... Henry D. E. Darby 

15. La Mutine brig 

FRENCH LINE OF BATTLE. 

... 74 

590 


Ships’ Names. 

Commanders. 

Guns. 

Men. 

A 

Le Guerrier . 

• •• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• ... 

74 

600 Taken 

B. 

Le Conquerant. 

• •• ••• ... ... ••• ... 

74 

700 Taken 

C. 

Le Spartiate . 


74 

700 Taken 

I). 

L’Acjuilon. 

• •• ••• ••• ••• ••• ... ... IM 

74 

700 Taken 

E. 

Le Souverain Peuple 

... .*• ... ... ... ... ••• 

74 

700 Taken 

F. 

Le Franklin . 

Blanquet, 1st contre-admiral... 

80 

800 Taken 

G. 

L’Orient . 

i Brueys, adm. & commander-) 

’ in-chief f 

120 

L010 Burnt 

H. 

Le Tonnant . 

• ,,, ,,, ,,, M# fM 

80 

800 Taken 

I. 

L’ Heureux . 

• •• ••• ... ••• ... 

74 

700 Taken 

K. 

Le Timoleon . 

### 

74 

700 Burnt 

M. 

Le Mercure . 


74 

700 Taken 

L. 

Le Guillaume Tell ... 

Villeneuve, 2d contre-admiral.. 

80 

800 Escaped 

N, 

Le Gouereux . 

••• ••• ... ••• ••• ••• ••• •• 

74 

700 Escaped 


FRIGATES. 



Ships. 

Guns. 

Men. 


Q. 

La Diane ... 

48 

300 

Escaped 

R. 

La Justice ... 

44 

300 

Escaped 

P. 

L’Artemiso... 

36 

250 

Burnt 

O. 

Le Serieux... 

36 

250 

Dismasted and Sunk. 


N.B. The figures and letters prefixed denote the situation of eacfc 
whip in the plan. 




























174 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


would be to lead between them and the shore, because 
the French guns on that side were not likely to be 
manned, nor even ready for action. Intending, there¬ 
fore, to fix himself on the inner bow of the Guerrier, 
he kept as near the edge of the bank as the depth of 
water would admit; but his anchor hung, and having 
opened his fire, he drifted to the second ship, the Con - 
querant , before it was clear; then anchored by the 
stern, inside of her, and in ten minutes shot away her 
mast. Hood, in the Zealous , perceiving this, took the 
station which the Goliath intended to have occupied, 
and totally disabled the Guerrier in twelve minutes. 
The third ship which doubled the enemy’s van was the 
Orion, Sir J. Saumarez ; she passed to windward of the 
Zealous, and opened her larboard guns as long as they 
bore on the Guerrier; then passing inside the Goliath, 
sunk a frigate which annoyed her, hauled round toward 
the French line, and anchoring inside, between the fifth 
and sixth ships from the Guerrier, took her station on 
the larboard bow of the Franklin, and the quarter of 
the Peuple Souverain, receiving and returning the fire 
of both. The sun was now nearly down. The Auda¬ 
cious, Captain Gould, pouring a heavy fire into the 
Guerrier and the Conquerant, fixed herself on the lar¬ 
board bow of the latter; and when that ship struck, 
passed on to the Peuple Souverain . The Theseus, 
Captain Miller, followed, brought down the GuerriePs 
remaining main and mizen masts, then anchored inside 
of the Spartiate, the third in the French line. 

While these advanced ships doubled the French line, 
the Vanguard was the first that anchored on the outer 
side of the enemy, within half pistol-shot of their third 


1798 . 


BATTLE OF THE NILE. 


175 


ship, the Spartiate. Nelson had six colours flying in 
different parts of his rigging, lest they should he shot 
away;—that they should be struck, no British admiral 
considers as a possibility. He veered half a cable, and 
instantly opened a tremendous fire; under cover of 
which the other four ships of his division, the Minotaur, 
Bellerophon, Defence, and Majestic, sailed on a-head of 
the admiral. In a few minutes, every man stationed at 
the first six guns in the fore part of the Vanguard's deck 
was killed or wounded—these guns were three times 
cleared. Captain Louis, in the Minotaur , anchored 
next a-head, and took off the fire of the Aquilon, the 
fourth in the enemy’s line. The Bellerophon, Captain 
Darby, passed a-head and dropped her stern anchor on 
the starboard bow of the Orient, seventh in the line, 
Brueys’ own ship, of one hundred and tw enty guns, 
whose difference of force was in proportion of more than 
seven to three, and whose weight of ball, from the lower 
deck alone, exceeded that from the whole broadside of 
the Bellerophon. Captain Peyton, in the Defence, 
took his station a-head of the Minotaur, and engaged 
the Franklin, the sixth in the line; by which judicious 
movement the British line remained unbroken. The 
Majestic, Captain Westcott, got entangled with the 
main rigging of one of the French ships astern of the 
Orient, and suffered dreadfully from that three-decker’s 
fire: but she swung clear, and closely engaging the 
Heureux, the ninth ship on the starboard bow, received 
also the fire of the Tonnant, which was the eighth m 
the line. The other four shijDS of the British squadron, 
having been detached previous to the discovery of the 
French, were at a considerable distance when the action 


176 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


began. It commenced at half after six; about seven, 
•night closed, and there was no other light than that 
from the fire of the contending fleets. 

Trowbridge, in the Gulloden , then foremost of the 
remaining ships, was two leagues astern. He came 
on sounding, as the others had done: as he ad¬ 
vanced, the increasing darkness increased the difficulty 
of the navigation; and suddenly, after having found 
eleven fathoms water, before the lead could be hove 
again, he was fast aground: nor could all his own 
exertions, joined to those of the Leander and the Mu- 
tine brig, which came to his assistance, get him off in 
time to bear a part in the action. His ship, however, 
served as a beacon to the Alexander and Siviftsure , 
which would else, from the course which they were 
holding, have gone considerably further on the reef, and 
must inevitably have been lost. These ships entered 
the bay, and took their stations, in the darkness, in a 
manner long spoken of with admiration by all who 
remembered it. Captain Hallowell, in the Swiftsure , 
as he was bearing down, fell in with what seemed to be 
a strange sail: Nelson had directed his ships to hoist 
four lights horizontally at the mizen-peak, as soon as it 
became dark; and this vessel had no such distinction. 
Hallowed, however, with great judgment, ordered his 
men not to fire : if she was an enemy, he said, she was 
in too disabled a state to escape; but, from her sails 
being loose, and the way in which her head was, it was 
probable she might be an English ship. It was the 
Bellerophon , overpowered by the huge Orient: her 
lights had gone overboard, nearly 200 of her crew were 
killed or wounded, ad her masts and cables had been 


1798. 


IS WOUNDED IN THE HEAD. 


177 


shot away; and she was drifting out of the line, toward 
the lee side of the bay. Her station, at this important 
time, was occupied by the Swiftsure , which opened a 
steady fire on the quarter of the Franklin , and the 
bows of the French admiral. At the same instant. 
Captain Ball, with the Alexander , passed under his 
stern, and anchored within side on his larboard quarter, 
raking him, and keeping up a severe fire of musquetry 
upon his decks. The last ship which arrived to com¬ 
plete the destruction of the enemy was the Leander . 
Captain Thompson, finding that nothing could be done 
that night to get off the Gulloden , advanced with the 
intention of anchoring athwart-hawse of the Orient. 
The Franklin was so near her ahead, that there was 
not room for him to pass clear of the two; he, therefore, 
took his station ath wart-hawse of the latter, in such a 
position as to rake both. 

The two first ships of the French line had been dis¬ 
masted within a quarter of an hour after the commence¬ 
ment of the action ; and the others had in that time 
suffered so severely, that victory was already certain. 
The third, fourth, and fifth, were taken possession of at 
half-past eight. 

Meantime, Nelson received a severe wound on the 
head from a piece of langridge shot. Captain Berry 
caught him in his arms as he was falling. The great 
effusion of blood occasioned an apprehension that the 
wound was mortal: Nelson himself thought so : a large 
flap of the skin of the forehead, cut from the bone, 
had fallen over one eye: and the other being blind, he 
was in total darkness. When he was carried down, the 
surgeon, — in the midst of a scene scarcely to be con- 



NELSON WOUNDED AT THE NILE. 

ceived by those who have never seen a cock-pit in time 
of action, and the heroism which is displayed amid its 
horrors, — with a natural and pardonable eagerness, 
quitted the poor fellow then under his hands, that he 
might instantly attend the admiral. “ No! ” said Nelson, 
“ I will take my turn with my brave fellows.” Nor 
would he suffer his own w r ound to be examined till every 
man who had been previously wounded was properly 
attended to. Fully believing that the w r ound was 
mortal, and that he was about to die, as he had ever 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 . 









































1798. 


THE OHIENT ON FIRE. 


179 


desired, in battle and in victory, he called the chaplain, 
and desired him to deliver what he supposed to be his 
remembrance to Lady Nelson: he then sent foi 
Captain Louis on board from the Minotaur , that he 
might thank him personally for the great assistance 
which he had rendered to the Vanguard; and, ever 
mindful of those who deserved to be his friends, ap¬ 
pointed Captain Hardy from the brig to the command 
of his own ship, Captain Berry having to go home with 
the news of the victory. When the surgeon came in 
due time to examine his wound (for it was in vain to 
entreat him to let it be examined sooner), the most 
anxious silence prevailed; and the joy of the wounded 
men, and of the whole crew, when they heard that the 
hurt was merely superficial, gave Nelson deeper pleasure, 
than the unexpected assurance that his life was in no 
danger. The surgeon requested, and as far as he could, 
ordered him to remain quiet: but Nelson could not 
rest. He called for his secretary, Mr. Campbell, to 
write the despatches. Campbell had himself been 
wounded ; and was so affected at the blind and suffering 
state of the admiral, that he was unable to write. The 
chaplain was then sent for ; but, before he came, Nelson, 
with his characteristic eagerness, took the pen, and con¬ 
trived to trace a few words, marking his devout sense of 
the success which had already been obtained. He was 
now left alone ; when suddenly a cry was heard on the 
deck, that the Orient was on fire. In the confusion, he 
found his way up, unassisted and unnoticed; and, to 
the astonishment of every one, appeared on the quarter¬ 
deck, where he immediately gave orders that boats 
should be sent to the relief of the enemy. 


180 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


It was soon after nine that the fire on board the 
Orient broke out.* Brueys was dead: he had received 
three wounds, yet would not leave his post: a fourth 

* The conflagration of the Orient , which robbed the British admiral 
of his grandest trophy, has never been satisfactorily accounted for; 
but a circumstance which occurred during the blockade of Alexandria 
seems to afford some explanation of it. The Kev. Cooper Wyllyams, 
chaplain of the Swiftsure , in his “ Voyage in the Mediterranean,” gives 
the following account of it:—“ Some French officers, during the blockade 
of Alexandria in 1798, were sent off to Captain Hallowell, to offer a 
supply of vegetables, and to observe, of course, the state of the block¬ 
ading squadron. They were received with all possible civility. In the 
course of conversation, after dinner, one of them remarked that we had 
made use of unfair weapons during the action, by which probably 
L’Orient was burnt, and that General Bonaparte had expressed great 
indignation at it. In proof of this assertion, he stated that, in their 
late gun-boat attacks, the camp had been set on fire by balls of inex¬ 
tinguishable matter, which were fired from one of the English boats. 
Captain Hallowell instantly ordered the gunner to bring up some of 
those balls, and asked him whence he had them. To the confusion of 
the accusers, he related that they were found on board the Spartiate, 
one of the ships captured on the 1st of August. As these balls were 
distinguished by particular marks, though in other respects alike, the 
captain ordered an experiment to be made, to ascertain the nature of 
them. The next morning,” continues Mr. Wyllyams, “ I accompanied 
Mr. Parr, the gunner, to the island. The first we tried proved to be a 
fire-ball, but of what materials composed we could not ascertain. As it 
did not explode, which at first we apprehended, we rolled it into the 
sea, where it continued to burn under water, a black, pitchy substance 
exuding from it, till only an iron skeleton of a shell remained. The 
whole had been carefully crusted over with a substance that gave it the 
appearance of a perfect shell. On setting fire to the fusee of the other, 
which was differently marked, it burst into many pieces: though some¬ 
what alarmed, fortunately none of us were hurt. People account dif¬ 
ferently for the fire that happened on board the French admiral: but 
why may it not have arisen from some of these fire-balls left, perhaps, 
carelessly on the poop, or cabin, where it first broke out?—and what 
confirms my opinion on this head is, that several pieces of such shells 
were found sticking in the Bellerophon , which she most probably 
received from the first fire of L'Orient:’—The Old Sailor. 



1798 . 


BLOWING UP OF THE ORIENT. 


181 


cut him almost in two. He desired not to be carried 
below, but to be left to die upon deck. The flames 
soon mastered his ship. Her sides had just been 
painted; and the oil-jars and paint-buckets were lying 
on the poop. By the prodigious light of this con¬ 
flagration, the situation of the two fleets could now be 
perceived, the colours of both being clearly distinguish¬ 
able. About ten o’clock the ship blew up, with a 
shock which was felt to the very bottom of every vessel. 
Many of her officers and men jumped overboard, some 
clinging to the spars and pieces of wreck, with which 
the sea was strewn, others swimming to escape from 
the destruction which they momentarily dreaded. Some 
were picked up by our boats; and some, even in the 
heat and fury of the action, were dragged into the 
lower ports of the nearest British vessel by the British 
sailors. The greater part of her crew, however, stood 
the danger till the last, and continued to fire from the 
lower deck. This tremendous explosion was followed 
by a silence not less awful: the firing immediately 
ceased on both sides; and the first sound which broke 
the silence was the dash of her shattered masts and 
yards, falling into the water from the vast height to 
which they had been exploded. It is upon record, that 
a battle between two armies was once broken off by an 
earthquake: such an event would be felt like a miracle; 
but no incident in war, produced by human means, has 
ever equalled the sublimity of this co-instantaneous 
pause, and all its circumstances. 

About seventy of the Orient's crew were saved by 
the English boats. Among the many hundreds who 
perished were the commodore, Casa-Bianca, and hi? 


182 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 . 


son, a brave boy, only ten years old. They were seen 
floating on a shattered mast when the ship blew up. 
She had money on board (the plunder of Malta) to the 
amount of 600,000£. sterling. The masses of burning 
wreck, which were scattered by the explosion, excited 
for some moments apprehensions in the English which 
they had never felt from any other danger. Two large 
pieces fell into the main and fore tops of the Swiftsure , 
without injuring any person. A port fire also fell into 
the main-royal of the Alexander : the fire which it 
occasioned was speedily extinguished. Captain Ball 
had provided, as far as human foresight could provide, 
against any such danger. All the shrouds and sails of 
his ship, not absolutely necessary for its immediate 
management, were thoroughly wetted, and so rolled up, 
that they were as hard and as little inflammable as so 
many solid cylinders. 

The firing recommenced with the ships to leeward 
of the centre, and continued till about three. At day¬ 
break, the Guillaume Tell , and the Genereux , the two 
rear ships of the enemy, were the only French ships of 
the line which had their colours flying; they cut their 
cables in the forenoon, not having been engaged, and 
stood out to sea, and two frigates with them. The 
Zealous pursued; but as there was no other ship in a 
condition to support Captain Hood, he was recalled. 
It was generally believed by the officers, that if Nelson 
had not been wounded, not one of these ships could 
have escaped: the four certainly could not, if the 
Culloden had got into action; and if the frigates be¬ 
longing to the squadron had been present, not one of 
the enemy’s fleet would have left Aboukir Bay. These 


1798 . 


THE NUMBER OF KILLED AND WOUNDED. 


183 


four vessels, however, were all that escaped; and the 
victory was the most complete and glorious in the 
annals of naval history. “ Victory,’’ said Nelson, “is 
not a name strong enough for such a scene; ” he called 
it a conquest. Of thirteen sail of the line, nine were 
taken, and two burnt: of the four frigates, one was sunk, 
another, the Artemise, was burnt in a villanous manner 
by her captain, M. Estandlet, who, having fired a broad¬ 
side at the Theseus , struck his colours, then set fire to 
the ship, and escaped with most of his crew to shore. 
The British loss, in killed and wounded, amounted to 
895. Westcott* was the only captain who fell: 3105 
of the French, including the wounded, were sent on 
shore by cartel, and 5225 perished. 

* The history of this gallant officer furnishes a most encouraging 
lesson to the young seaman, even in the humblest station. He was 
the son of a baker in Devonshire, and was frequently sent by his father 
on business to the neighbouring mill. In one of these visits it hap¬ 
pened that, from the accidental breaking of a rope, the machine was 
disordered. Neither the owner nor his man being equal to the task of 
repairing the damage, young Westcott offered to use his skill in splicing 
the rope, although attended with considerable difficulty and danger. 
The miller complied, and was so well pleased with the manner in which 
the job was executed, that he told him he was tit for a sailor, since he 
could splice so well; adding that, if he should ever have an inclination 
to go to sea, he would get him a berth. The proposal was accepted by 
the lad; an opportunity presented itself, and he began his naval career 
in the humble capacity of a cabin-boy. In this situation he contrived 
to exercise his abilities to such good purpose, and evinced such acute¬ 
ness of understanding, that it was not long before he was introduced 
among the midshipmen. Further advancement was the reward of his 
good conduct, and he became so signally conspicuous both for skill and 
bravery, that he was rapidly promoted to the honourable station ir. 
which he lost his life. Had he survived the battle of the Nile, his 
seniority of appointment would have obtained him an admiral’s flag. 
A handsome monument has been erected to his memory, at the public 
expense, in St. Paul’s Cathedral .—The Old Sailor. 


184 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


As soon as the conquest was completed. Nelson 
sent orders through the fleet, to return thanksgiving in 
every ship for the victory with which Almighty Grod 
had blessed his Majesty’s arms. The French at Eosetta, 
who with miserable fear beheld the engagement, were 
at a loss to understand the stillness of the fleet during 
the performance of this solemn duty; but it seemed to 
affect many of the prisoners, officers as well as men : 
and graceless and godless as the officers were, some of 
them remarked, that it was no wonder such order was 
preserved in the British navy, when the minds of our 
men could be impressed with such sentiments after so 
great a victory, and at a moment of such confusion.— 
The French at Eosetta, seeing their four ships sail out 
of the bay unmolested, endeavoured to persuade them¬ 
selves that they were in possession of the place of 
battle. But it was in vain thus to attempt, against 
their own secret and certain conviction, to deceive them¬ 
selves : and even if thev could have succeeded in this, 
the bonfires which the Arabs kindled along the whole 
coast, and over the country, for the three following 
nights, would soon have undeceived them. Thousands 
of Arabs and Egyptians lined the shore, and covered 
the house-tops during the action, rejoicing in the de¬ 
struction which had overtaken their invaders. Long 
after the battle, innumerable bodies were seen floating 
about the bay, in spite of all the exertions which were 
made to sink them, as well from fear of pestilence, as 
from the loathing and horror which the sight occasioned. 
The shore, for an extent of four leagues, was covered 
with wreck; and the Arabs found employment for many 
days in burning on the beach the fragments which 




1798/ 


SINGULAR PRESENT. 


185 


were cast up, for the sake of the iron. Part of the 
Orient's main-mast was picked up by the Swiftsuve . 
Captain Hallowell ordered his carpenter to make a 
coffin of it; the iron as well as wood was taken from 
the wreck of the same ship; it was finished as well and 
handsomely as the workman’s skill and materials would 
permit; and Hallowell then sent it to the admiral with 
the following letter ,—“ Sir, I have taken the liberty of 
presenting you a coffin made from the main-mast of 
L’Orient , that when you have finished your military 
career in this world, you may be buried in one of your 
trophies. But that that period may be far distant, is 
the earnest wish of your sincere friend, Benjamin 
Hallowed.” An offering so strange, and yet so suited 
to the occasion, was received by Nelson in the spirit 
with which it was sent. As if he felt it good for 
him, now that he was at the summit of his wishes, to 
have death before his eyes, he ordered the coffin to be 
placed upright in his cabin. Such a piece of furniture, 
however, was more suitable to his own feelings than to 
those of his guests and attendants; and an old favourite 
servant entreated him so earnestly to let it be removed, 
that at length he consented to have the coffin carried 
below: but he gave strict orders that it should be safely 
stowed, and reserved for the purpose for which its brave 
and worthy donor had designed it. 

The victory was complete; but Nelson could not 
pursue it as he would have done, for want of means. 
Had he been provided with small craft, nothing could 
have prevented the destruction of the store-ships and 
transports in the port of Alexandria:—four bomb-ves- 
eels would at that time have burnt the whole in a few 


186 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 . 


hours. “Were I to die this moment,” said he in his 
despatches to the Admiralty, “ want of frigates would 
he found stamped on my heart! No words of mine 
can express what I have suffered, and am suffering, for 
want of them.” He had also to bear up against great 
bodily suffering; the blow had so shaken his head, that 
from,its constant and violent aching, and the perpetual 
sickness which accompanied the pain, he could scarcely 
persuade himself that the skull was not fractured. Had 
it not been for Trowbridge, Ball, Hood, and Hallowell, 
he declared that he should have sunk under the fatigue 
of refitting the squadron. “ All,” he said, “ had done 
well; but these officers were his supporters.” But, 
amidst his sufferings and exertions. Nelson could yet 
think of all the consequences of his victory; and that 
no advantage from it might be lost, he despatched an 
officer overland to India, with letters to the governor 
of Bombay, informing him of the arrival of the French 
in Egypt, the total destruction of their fleet, and the 
consequent preservation of India from any attempt 
against it on the part of this formidable armament. 
“ He knew that Bombay,” he said, “ was their first 
object, if they could get there ; but he trusted that Al¬ 
mighty God would overthrow in Egypt these pests of 
the human race. Bonaparte had never yet had to con¬ 
tend with an English officer, and he would endeavour to 
make him respect us.” This despatch he sent upon 
his own responsibility, with letters of credit upon the 
East India Company, addressed to the British consuls, 
vice-consuls, and merchants, on his route; Nelson say¬ 
ing, “ that if he had done wrong, he hoped the hills 
would be paid, and he would repay the Company: for. 


1798 . 


HONOURS CONFERRED UPON HIM. 


187 


as an Englishman, he should be proud that it had been 
in his power to put our settlements on their guard.” 
The information which by this means reached India 
was of great importance. Orders had just been received 
for defensive preparations, upon a scale proportionate to 
the apprehended danger; and the extraordinary ex¬ 
penses which would otherwise have been incurred were 
thus prevented. 

Nelson was now at the summit of glory : congratu¬ 
lations, rewards, and honours, were showered upon him 
by all the states, and princes, and powers, to whom his 
victory gave a respite. The first communication of this 
nature which he received was from the Turkish Sultan: 
who, as soon as the invasion of Egypt was known, had 
called upon “ all true believers to take arms against 
those swinish infidels the French, that they might 
deliver these blessed habitations from their accursed 
hands;” and who had ordered his “pashas to turn 
night into day in their efforts to take vengeance.” The 
present of “his imperial majesty, the powerful, for¬ 
midable, and most magnificent Grand Seignior,” was a 
pelisse of sables, with broad sleeves, valued at five thou¬ 
sand dollars; and a diamond aigrette, valued at eigh¬ 
teen thousand—the most honourable badge among the 
Turks; and in this instance more especially honourable, 
because it was taken from one of the royal turbans. 
“ If it were worth a million,” said Nelson to his wife, 
“my pleasure would be to see it in your possession.” 
The Sultan also sent, in a spirit worthy of imitation, a 
purse of two thousand sequins, to be distributed among 
the wounded. The mother of the Sultan sent him a 
box, set with diamonds, valued at one thousand pounds. 


188 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


The Czar Paul, in whom the better part of his strangely 
compounded nature at this time predominated, pre¬ 
sented him with his portrait, set in diamonds, in a gold 
box, accompanied with a letter of congratulation, written 
by his own hand. The King of Sardinia also wrote to 
him, and sent a gold box, set with diamonds. Honours 
in profusion were awaiting him at Naples. In his own 
country the king granted these honourable augmenta¬ 
tions to his armorial ensign: a chief undulated, argent; 
thereon waves of the sea; from which a palm-tree 
issuant, between a disabled ship on the dexter, and a 
ruinous battery on the sinister, all proper ; and for his 
crest, on a naval crown or the chelengk, or plume, pre¬ 
sented to him by the Turk, with the motto, Palmam 
qui meruit ferat* And to his supporters, being a 
sailor on the dexter, and a lion on the sinister, were 
given these honourable augmentations : a palm-branch 
in the sailor’s hand, and another in the paw of the lion, 
both proper; with a tri-coloured flag and staff in the 
lion’s mouth. He was created Baron Nelson of the 
Nile and of Burnham-Thorpe, with a pension of 2000^. 
for his own life, and those of his two immediate suc¬ 
cessors. When the grant was moved in the House of 
Commons, General Whilpole expressed an opinion, that 
a higher degree of rank ought to be conferred. Mr. 

* It has been erroneously said that the motto was selected by the 
king:—it was fixed on by Lord Grenville, and taken from an ode of 
Jortin. The application was singularly fortunate; and the ode itself 
breathes a spirit, in which no man ever more truly sympathised than 
Nelson : 

Concurrant paribus cum ratibus rates, 

Spectent numina ponti, et 
Palmam qui meruit ferat. 



1798 . 


HIS TITLE TO NOBILITY. 


189 


Pitt made answer, that he thought it needless to entei 
into that question. “ Admiral Nelson’s fame,” he said, 
“ would be co-equal with the British name: and it 
would be remembered that he had obtained the greatest 
naval victory on record, when no man would think of 
asking whether he had been created a baron, a viscount, 
or an earl!” It was strange that, in the very act of 
conferring a title, the minister should have excused 
himself for not having conferred a higher one, by repre¬ 
senting all titles, on such an occasion, as nugatory and 
superfluous. True, indeed, whatever title had been 
bestowed, whether viscount, earl, marquis, duke, or 
prince, if our laws had so permitted, he who received it 
would have been Nelson still. That name he had en¬ 
nobled beyond all addition of nobility : it was the name 
by which England loved him, France feared him, Italy, 
Egypt, and Turkey celebrated him; and by which he 
will continue to be known while the present kingdoms 
and languages of the world endure, and as long as their 
history after them shall be held in remembrance. It 
depended upon the degree of rank what should be the 
fashion of his coronet, in what page of the red book his 
name was to be inserted, and what precedency should 
be allowed his lady in the drawing-room and at the 
ball. That Nelson’s honours were affected thus far, 
and no farther, might be conceded to Mr. Pitt and his 
colleagues in administration: but the degree of rank 
which they thought proper to allot was the measure 
of their gratitude, though not of his services.* This 

* Mr. Wyndham mus be excepted from this well-deserved censure. 
He, whose fate it seems to have been almost always to think and feel 
more generously than those with whom he acted, declared, when he 


190 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 . 


Nelson felt; and this he expressed, with indignation, 
among his friends. 

Whatever may have been the motives of the minis¬ 
try, and whatever the formalities with which they ex¬ 
cused their conduct to themselves, the importance and 
magnitude of the victory were universally acknowledged. 
A grant of 10,00(E. was voted to Nelson by the East 
India Company; the Turkish Company presented him 
with a piece of plate ; the city of London presented a 
sword to him, and to each of his captains; gold medals 
were distributed to the captains; and the first lieu¬ 
tenants of all the ships were promoted, as had been 
done after Lord Howe’s victory. Nelson was exceed¬ 
ingly anxious that the captain and first lieutenant of the 
Gulloden should not be passed over because of their 
misfortune. To Trowbridge himself he said, “Let us 
rejoice that the ship which got on shore was commanded 
by an officer whose character is so thoroughly esta¬ 
blished.” To the Admiralty he stated, that Captain 
Trowbridge’s conduct was as fully entitled to praise as 
that of any one officer in the squadron, and as highly 
deserving of reward. “It was Trowbridge,” said he, 

contended against his own party for Lord Wellington’s peerage, that 
he always thought Lord Nelson had been inadequately rewarded. The 
case was the more flagrant, because an earldom had so lately been 
granted for the battle of St. Vincent; an action which could never 
he compared with the battle of the Nile, if the very different manner 
in which it was rewarded did not necessarily force a comparison ; 
especially when the part which Nelson bore in it was considered.— 
Lords Duncan and St. Vincent had each a pension of 10Q0Z. from the 
Irish government. This was not granted to Nelson, in consequence 
of the Union ; though, surely, it would be more becoming to increase 
the British grant, than to save a thousand a-year by the Union in such 
cases. 


1798 . 


HE ADVOCATES TROWBRIDGE’S PROMOTION. 


191 


“who equipped the squadron so soon at Syracuse: it 
was Trowbridge who exerted himself for me after the 
action: it was Trowbridge who saved the Culloden, 
when none that I know in the service would have 
attempted it.” The gold medal, therefore, by the king's 
express desire, was given to Captain Trowbridge, “ for 
his services both before and since, and for the great and 
wonderful exertion which he made at the time of the 
action, in saving and getting off his ship.” The private 
letter from the Admiralty to Nelson informed him, that 
the first lieutenants of all the ships engaged were to be 
promoted. Nelson instantly wrote to the commander- 
in-chief. “ I sincerely hope,” said he, “ this is not 
intended to exclude the first lieutenant of the Culloden. 
For Heaven’s sake—for my sake—if it be so, get it 
altered. Our dear friend Trowbridge has endured 
enough. His sufferings were, in every respect, more 
than any of us.” To the Admiralty he wrote in terms 
equally warm. “ I hope, and believe, the word engaged 
is not intended to exclude the Culloden. The merit of 
that ship, and her gallant captain, are too well known 
to benefit by anything I could say. Her misfortune 
was great in getting aground, while her more fortunate 
companions were in full tide of happiness. No; I am 
confident that my good Lord Spencer will never add 
misery to misfortune. Captain Trowbridge on shore is 
superior to captains afloat: in the midst of his great 
misfortunes he made those signals which prevented 
certainly the Alexander and Siviftsure from running 
on the shoals. I beg your pardon for writing on a 
subject which, 1 verily believe, has never entered your 
lordship’s head; but my heart, as it ought to be, is 


192 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


warm to my gallant friends.” Thus feelingly alive was 
Nelson to the claims, and interests, and feelings of 
others. The Admiralty replied, that the exception 
was necessary, as the ship had not been in action : 
but they desired the commander-in-chief to promote 
the lieutenant upon the first vacancy which should 
occur. 

Nelson, in remembrance of an old and uninterrupted 
friendship, appointed Alexander Davison sole prize- 
agent for the captured ships: upon which Davison 
ordered medals to be struck in gold, for the captains; 
in silver, for the lieutenants and warrant officers; in 
gilt metal, for petty officers; and in copper, for the 
seamen and marines. The cost of this act of liberality 
amounted nearly to 2000£. It is worthy of record on 
another account:—for some of the gadant men, who 
received no other honorary badge of their conduct on 
that memorable day, than this copper medal, from a 
private individual, years afterwards, when they died 
upon a foreign station, made it their last request, that 
the medals might carefully be sent home to their re¬ 
spective friends. So sensible are brave men of honour, 
in whatever rank they may be placed. 

Three of the frigates, whose presence would have 
been so essential a few weeks sooner, joined the squadron 
on the twelfth day after the action. The fourth joined 
a few days after them. Nelson thus received despatches, 
which rendered it necessary for him to return to Naples. 
Before he left Egypt he burnt three of the prizes: they 
could not have been fitted for a passage to Gibraltar in 
less than a month, and that at a great expense, and 
with the loss of the service of at least two sail of the 


1798. 


SENDS HOME THE PRIZES. 


193 


line. “ I rest assured,” he said to the Admiralty, “ that 
they will be paid for, and have held out that assurance 
to the squadron. For if an admiral, after a victory, is 
to look after the captured ships, and not to the dis¬ 
tressing of the enemy, very dearly indeed must the nation 
pay for the prizes. I trust that 60 , 000 £. will be deemed 
a very moderate sum for them: and when the services, 
time, and men, with the expense of fitting the three 
ships for a voyage to England, are considered. Govern¬ 
ment will save nearly as much as they are valued at. 
Paying for prizes,” he continued, “is no new idea of 
mine, and would often prove an amazing saving to the 
state, even without taking into calculation what the 
nation loses by the attention of the admirals to the 
property of the captors; an attention absolutely necessary, 
as a recompense for the exertions of the officers and men. 
An admiral may be amply rewarded by his owm feelings, 
and by the approbation of his superiors; but what 
reward have the inferior officers and men, but the value 
of the prizes ? If an admiral takes that from them, on 
any consideration, he cannot expect to be well sup¬ 
ported.” To Earl St. Vincent he said, “ If he could 
have been sure that Government would have paid a 
reasonable value for them, he would have ordered two 
of the other prizes to be burnt: for they would cost 
more in refitting, and by the loss of ships attending 
them, than they were worth.” 

Having sent the six remaining prizes* forward. 


* These were the Franklin, Tonnant, Spartiate, Aquilon, Conquerant , 
and Souverain Peuple, the hulls of which were purchased by the Navy 
Board for 117,000/. The name of the Franklin was changed to Canopus , 
4quilon to Aboukir, and Souverain Peuple to Guerner. 


O 


194 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 


under Sir James Saumarez, Nelson left Captain Hood, 
in the Zealous , off Alexandria, with the Swiftsure, 
Goliath , Alcmene , and Emerald , and stood out to sea 
himself on the seventeenth day after the battle 










CONTEXTS OF CHAPTER VI. 

Returns to Naples—His Reception there—State of that 
Court and Kingdom—General Mack—Defeat of the Neapolitan 
Army—The French approach Naples—Flight of the Royal 
Family—Renewed Operations against the French — State of 
Affairs in Sicily—Conduct of the Neapolitans, and consequent 
Difficulties of the British Officers—Siege of Uovo and Nuovo— 
Nelson arrives, and annuls the Capitulation—Successes of the 
Allies—Nelson’s Conduct to Caraccioli—Disobeys the Order to 
repair to Minorca — His Reasons — Restoration of Royalty at 
Naples—Is made Duke of Bronte—Evpels the French from 
Rome — Siege of Malta — Sufferings of the Troops and People — 
Conduct of the Sicilian Court—Decided Measures of Captain 
Ball—Capitulation of Malta—Nelson leaves the Mediterranean, 
and returns to England—Incidents of his Journey — Popular 
Admiration of him—The old German Pastor. 
































while he was in the Agamemnon. “ My complaint,” 
he said, “ is as if a girth were buckled taut over nry 
breast; and my endeavour in the night is to get it 


p loose.” After the battle off Cape St. Vincent, he felt a 
little rest to be so essential to his recovery, that he de¬ 
clared he would not continue to serve longer than the 
ensuing summer, unless it should be absolutely neces¬ 
sary ; for, in his own strong language, he had then been 
four years and nine months without one moment’s re¬ 
pose for body or mind. A few months’ intermission of 
labour he had obtained—not of rest, for it was pur^ 













198 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 . 


chased with the loss of a limb; and the greater part of 
the time had been a season of constant pain. As soon 
as his shattered frame had sufficiently recovered for 
him to resume his duties, he was called to services of 
greater importance than any on which he had hitherto 
been employed, and they brought with them commen¬ 
surate fatigue and care. 

The anxiety which he endured during his long pur¬ 
suit of the enemy was rather changed in its direction, 
than abated, by their defeat: and this constant wake¬ 
fulness of thought, added to the effect of his wound, 
and the exertions from which it was not possible for one 
of so ardent and wide-reaching a mind to spare himself, 
nearly proved fatal. On his way back to Italy he was 
seized with fever. For eighteen hours his life was 
despaired of; and even when the disorder took a favour¬ 
able turn, and he was so far recovered as again to appear 
on deck, he himself thought that his end was approach¬ 
ing—such was the weakness to which the fever and 
cough had reduced him. Writing to Earl St. Vincent, 
on the passage, he said to him, “ I never expect, my 
dear lord, to see your face again. It may please God 
that this will be the finish to that fever of anxiety 
which I have endured from the middle of June; but be 
that as it pleases His goodness. I am resigned to His* 
will.” 

The kindest attentions of the warmest friendship 
were awaiting him at Naples. “ Come here,” said Sir 
William Hamilton, “ for God’s sake, my dear friend, as 
soon as the service will permit you. A pleasant apart¬ 
ment is ready for you in my house, and Emma is look¬ 
ing out for the softest pillows, to repose the few wearied 


17 i?6. 


REJOICINGS AT NAPLES FOR THE VICTORY. 


i99 


limbs you have left.” Happy would it have been for 
Nelson if' warm and careful friendship had been all that 
awaited him there ! He himself saw at that time the 
character of the Neapolitan court, as it first struck an 
Englishman, in its true light: and when he was on the 
way, he declared that he detested the voyage to Naples, 
and that nothing but necessity could have forced him to 
it. But never was any hero, on his return from victory, 
welcomed with more heartfelt joy. Before the battle 
of Aboukir the court of Naples had been trembling for 
its existence. The language which the Directory held 
towards it was well described by Sir William Hamilton, 
as being exactly the language of a highwayman. The 
Neapolitans were told, that Benevento might be added 
to their dominions, provided they would pay a large 
sum, sufficient to satisfy the Directory; and they were 
warned, that if the proposal were refused, or even if 
there were any delay in accepting it, the French would 
revolutionise all Italy. The joy, therefore, of the court 
at Nelson’s success was in proportion to the dismay 
from which that success relieved them. The queen was 
a daughter of Maria Theresa, and sister of Marie An¬ 
toinette. Had she been the wisest and gentlest of her 
sex, it would not have been possible for her to have 
regarded the French without hatred and horror: and 
the progress of revolutionary opinions, while it per® 
petually reminded her of her sister’s fate, excited no 
unreasonable apprehensions for her own. Her feelings, 
naturally ardent, and little accustomed to restraint, 
were excited to the highest pitch when the news of the 
victory arrived. Lady Hamilton, her constant friend 
and favourite, who was present, says, “ It is not possible 





200 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798 


to describe her transports: she wept, she kissed hei 
husband, her children, walked franticly about the room, 
burst into tears again, and again kissed and embraced 
every person near her; exclaiming, f 0 brave Nelson! 
0 God ! bless and protect our brave deliverer! 0 Nel¬ 
son ! Nelson ! what do we not owe you ! 0 conqueror— 
saviour of Italy! 0 that my swollen heart could now 

tell him personally what we owe to him ! ’ ” She wrote to 
the Neapolitan ambassadoi at London upon the occasion 
in terms which show the fulness of her joy, and the 
height of the hopes which it had excited. “ I wish I 
could give wings,” said she, ,e to the bearer of the news, 
and, at the same time, to our most sincere gratitude. 
The whole of the sea-coast of Italy is saved; and this 
is owing alone to the generous English. This battle, 
or, to speak more correctly, this total defeat, of the 
regicide squadron, was obtained by the valour of this 
brave admiral, seconded by a navy which is the terror 
of its enemies. The victory is so complete, that I can 
still scarcely believe it: and if it were not the brave 
English nation, which is accustomed to perform pro¬ 
digies by sea, I could not persuade myself that it had 
happened. It would have moved you to have seen all 
my children, boys and girls, hanging on my neck and 
crying for joy at the happy news.—Recommend the 
hero to his master : he has filled the whole of Italy with 
admiration of the English. Great hopes were enter¬ 
tained of some advantages being gained by his bravery, 
but no one could look for so total a destruction. All 
here are drunk with joy.” 

Such being the feelings of the royal family, it may 
well be supposed with what delight, and with what 


1798. NELSON S RECEPTION AT NAPLES. 201 

honours, Nelson would be welcomed. Early on the 22d 
of September the poor, wretched Vanguard, as he 
called his shattered vessel, appeared in sight of Naples. 
The Gulloden and Alexander had preceded her by 
some days, and given notice of her approach. Many 
hundred boats and barges were ready to go forth and 
meet him, with music and streamers, and every de¬ 
monstration of joy and triumph. Sir William and 
Lady Hamilton led the way in their state barge. They 
had seen Nelson only for a few days four years ago, but. 
they then perceived in him that heroic spirit which 
was now so fully and gloriously manifested to the 
world. Emma Lady Hamilton, who from this time so 
greatly influenced his future life, was a woman whose 
personal accomplishments have seldom been equalled, 
and whose powers of mind were not less fascinating 
than her person. She was passionately attached to 
the queen: and by her influence the British fleet had 
obtained those supplies at Syracuse, without which, 
Nelson always asserted, the battle of Aboukir could not 
have been fought. During the long interval which 
passed before any tidings were received, her anxiety 
had been hardly less than that of Nelson himself, while 
pursuing an enemy of whom he could obtain no in¬ 
formation : and when the tidings were brought her by 
a joyful bearer open-mouthed, its effect was such, that 
she fell like one who had been shot. She and Sir 
William had literally been made ill by their hopes and 
fears, and joy at a catastrophe so far exceeding all that 
they had dared to hope for. Their admiration for the 
hero necessarily produced a degree of proportionate- 
gratitude and affection; and when their barge came 


202 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


alon gside tlie Vanguard , at the sight of Nelson, Lady 
Hamilton sprang up the ship’s side, and exclaiming, 
“0 Grod! is it possible!” fell into his arms, more, he 
says, like one dead than alive. He described the 
meeting as “ terribly affecting.” These friends had 
scarcely recovered from their tears, when the king, who 
went out to meet him three leagues in the royal barge, 
came on board and took him by the hand, calling him 
his deliverer and preserver; from all the boats around 
he was saluted with the same appellations; the mul¬ 
titude who surrounded him when he landed, repeated 
the same enthusiastic cries; and the lazzaroni displayed 
their joy by holding up birds in cages, and giving them 
their liberty as he passed. 

His birthday, which occurred a week after his 
arrival, was celebrated with one of the most splendid 
fetes ever beheld at Naples. But, notwithstanding the 
splendour with which he was encircled, and the flatter¬ 
ing honours with which all ranks welcomed him. Nelson 
was fully sensible of the depravity, as well as weakness, 
of those by whom he was surrounded. “ What precious 
moments,” said he, “the courts of Naples and Vienna 
are losing! Three months would liberate Italy! but 
this court is so enervated, that the happy moment will 
be lost. I am very unwell; and their miserable conduct 
is not likely to cool my irritable temper. It is a country 
of fiddlers and poets, whores and scoundrels.” This 
sense of their ruinous weakness he always retained; nor 
was he ever blind to the mingled folly and treachery 
of the Neapolitan ministers, and the complication of 
iniquities under which the country groaned : but he 
insensibly, under the influence of Lady Hamilton, 




1798. 


STATE OF NEAPOLITAN AFFAIRS. 


203 


formed an affection for the court, to whose misgovern- 
ment the miserable condition of the country was so 
greatly to be imputed. 

The state of Naples may be described in few words. 
The king was one of the Spanish Bourbons. As the 
Caesars have shown us to what wickedness the moral 
nature of princes may be perverted, so in this family 
the degradation to which their intellectual nature can 
be reduced has been not less conspicuously evinced. 
Ferdinand, like the rest of his race, was passionately 
fond of field-sports, and cared for nothing else. His 
queen had all the vices of the house of Austria, with 
little to mitigate, and nothing to ennoble them;— 
provided she could have her pleasures, and the king his 
sports, they cared not in what manner the revenue was 
raised or administered. Of course a system of favour¬ 
itism existed at court, and the vilest and most impudent 
corruption prevailed in every department of state, and 
in every branch of administration, from the highest to 
the lowest. It is only the institutions of Christianity, 
and the vicinity of better-regulated states, which prevent 
kingdoms, under such circumstances of misrule, from 
sinking into a barbarism like that of Turkey. A sense 
of better things was kept alive in some of the Nea¬ 
politans by literature, and by their intercourse with 
happier countries. These persons naturally looked to 
France, at the commencement of the revolution; and, 
during all the horrors of that revolution, still cherished 
a hope, that, by the aid of France, they might be 
enabled to establish a new order of things in Naples. 
They were grievously mistaken in supposing that the 
principles of liberty would ever be supported by France, 


204 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1793. 


but they were not mistaken in believing that no govern¬ 
ment could be worse than their own; and, therefore, 
they considered any change as desirable. In this 
opinion men of the most different characters agreed. 
Many of the nobles, who were not in favour, wished for 
a revolution, that they might obtain the ascendancy 
to which they thought themselves entitled: men of 
desperate fortunes desired it, in the hope of enriching 
themselves; knaves and intriguers sold themselves to 
the French, to promote it; and a few enlightened men, 
and true lovers of their country, joined in the same 
cause, from the purest and noblest motives. All these 
were confounded under the common name of Jacobins; 
and the Jacobins of the Continental kingdoms were 
regarded by the English with more hatred than they 
deserved. They were classed with Philippe Egalite, 
Marat, and Hebert;—whereas they deserved rather to 
be ranked, if not with Locke, and Sydney, and Kussell, 
at least with Argyle and Monmouth, and those who, 
having the same object as the prime movers of our own 
revolution, failed in their premature, but not unworthy, 
attempt. 

Ho circumstances could be more unfavourable to 
the best interests of Europe, than those which placed 
England in strict alliance with the superannuated and 
abominable governments of the Continent. The subjects 
of those governments who wished for freedom thus 
became enemies to England, and dupes and agents of 
France. They looked to their own grinding grievances, 
and did not see the danger with which the liberties of 
the world were threatened: England, on the other hand, 
saw the danger in its true magnitude, but was blind to 




1798. 


SUMMARY OF CONTINENTAL OPINION. 


205 


these grievances, and found herself compelled to support 
systems which had formerly been equally the object of 
her abhorrence and her contempt. This was the state 
of Nelson’s mind: he knew that there could be no peace 
for Europe till the pride of France was humbled, and 
her strength broken; and he regarded all those who 
were the friends of France as traitors to the common 
cause, as well as to their own individual sovereigns. 
There are situations in which the most opposite and 
hostile parties may mean equally well, and yet act 
equally wrong. The court of Naples, unconscious of 
committing any crime by continuing the system of mis¬ 
rule to which they had succeeded, conceived that, in 
maintaining things as they were, they were maintaining 
their own rights, and preserving the people from such 
horrors as had been perpetrated in France. The 
Neapolitan revolutionists thought that, without a total 
change of system, any relief from the present evils was 
impossible, and they believed themselves justified in 
bringing about that change by any means. Both parties 
knew that it was the fixed intention of the French to 
revolutionise Naples. The revolutionists supposed that 
it was for the purpose of establishing a free government: 
the court, and all disinterested persons, were perfectly 
aware that the enemy had no other object than conquest 
and plunder. 

The battle of the Nile shook the power of France. 
Her most successful general, and her finest army, were 
blocked up in Egypt—hopeless, as it appeared, of 
return ; and the government was in the hands of men 
without talents, without character, and divided among 
themselves. Austria, whom Bonaparte had terrified 


206 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


into a peace, at a time when constancy on her part 
would probably have led to his destruction, took advan¬ 
tage of the crisis to renew the war. Russia also wa,s 
preparing to enter the field with unbroken forces; led 
by a general whose extraordinary military genius would 
have entitled him to a high and honourable rank in 
history, if it had not been sullied by all the ferocity 
of a barbarian. Naples, seeing its destruction at hand, 
and thinking that the only means of averting it was by 
meeting the danger, after long vacillations, which were 
produced by the fears, and weakness, and treachery of its 
council, agreed at last to join this new coalition, with a 
numerical force of 80,000 men. Nelson told the king, 
in plain terms, that he had his choice, either to advance, 
trusting to Grod for His blessing on a just cause, and 
prepared to die sword in hand—or to remain quiet, and 
be kicked out of his kingdom:—one of these things 
must happen. The king made answer, he would go on 
and trust in Grod and Nelson : and Nelson, who would 
else have returned to Egypt, for the purpose of destroy¬ 
ing the French shipping in Alexandria, gave up his 
intention, at the desire of the Neapolitan court, and 
resolved to remain on that station, in the hope that he 
might be useful to the movements of the army. He 
suspected also, with reason, that the continuance of his 
fleet was so earnestly requested, because the royal family 
thought their persons would be safer, in case of any 
mishap, under the British flag, than under their own. 

His first object was the recovery of Malta—an island 
which the King of Naples pretended to claim. The 
Maltese, whom the villanous knights of their order had 
betrayed to France, had taken up arms against their 


1798. 


GENERAL MACK. 


207 


rapacious invaders, with a spirit and unanimity worthy 
the highest praise. They blockaded the French gar¬ 
rison by land, and a small squadron, under Captain Ball, 
began to blockade them by sea, on the 12th of October. 
Twelve days afterwards Nelson arrived, and the little 
island of G-ozo, dependent upon Malta, which had also 
been seized and garrisoned by the French, capitulated 
soon after his arrival, and was taken possession of by the 
British, in the name of his Sicilian Majesty—a power 
who had no better claim to it than France. Having 
seen this effected, and reinforced Captain Ball, he left 
that able officer to perform a most arduous and import¬ 
ant part, and returned himself to co-operate with the 
intended movements of the Neapolitans. 

General Mack was at the head of the Neapolitan 
troops. All that is now doubtful concerning this man 
is whether he was a coward or a traitor. At that time 
he was assiduously extolled as a most consummate com¬ 
mander, to whom Europe might look for deliverance: 
and when he was introduced by the king and queen to 
the British admiral, the queen said to him, “ Be to us 
by land, general, what my hero Nelson has been by sea.” 
Mack, on his part, did not fail to praise the force which 
he was appointed to command. “ It was,” he said, “ the 
finest army in Europe.” Nelson agreed with him, that 
there could not be finer men : but when the general, at 
a review, so directed the operations of a mock-fight, 
that, by an unhappy blunder, his own troops were sur¬ 
rounded instead of those of the enemy, he turned to his 
friends and exclaimed, with bitterness, that the fellow 
did not understand his business. Another circumstance, 
not less characteristic, confirmed Nelson in his judg- 


208 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


ment. “ General Mack,” said he, in one of his letters, 
“ cannot move without five carriages ! I have formed 
my opinion. I heartily pray I may be mistaken.” 

While Mack, at the head of 32,000 men, marched 
into the Roman state, 5000 Neapolitans were embarked 
on board the British and Portuguese squadron, to take 
possession of Leghorn. This was effected without oppo¬ 
sition; and the Grand Duke of Tuscany, whose neu¬ 
trality had been so outrageously violated by the French, 
was better satisfied with the measure than some of the 
Neapolitans themselves. Naselli, their general, refused 
to seize the French vessels at Leghorn, because he and 
the Duke di Sangro, who was ambassador at the Tuscan 
court, maintained that the King of Naples was not at 
war with France. “What!” said Nelson, “has not 
the king received, as a conquest made by him, the re¬ 
publican flag taken at Gozo ? Is not his own flag flying 
there, and at Malta, not only by his permission, but by 
his order ? Is not his flag shot at every day by the 
French, and their shot returned from batteries which 
bear that flag ? Are not two frigates and a corvette 
placed under my orders ready to fight the French, meet 
them where they may ? Has not the king sent pub¬ 
licly from Naples guns, mortars, &c., with officers and 
artillery, against the French in Malta ? If these acts 
are not tantamount to any written paper, I give up all 
knowledge of what is war.” This reasoning was of less 
avail than argument addressed to the general’s fears. 
Nelson told him, that if he permitted the many hun¬ 
dred French who were then in the mole to remain neu¬ 
tral, till they had a fair opportunity of being active, 
they had one sure resource, if all other schemes failed, 


1798 . 


CONDUCT OF THE NEAPOLITAN OFFICIALS. 


209 


which was, to set one vessel on fire ; the mole would be 
destroyed, probably the town also ; and the port ruined 
for twenty years. This representation made Naselli 
agree to the half measure of laying an embargo on the 
vessels. Among them were a great number of French 
privateers, some of which were of such force as to 
threaten the greatest mischief to our commerce, and 
about seventy sail of vessels belonging to the Ligurian 
republic, as Genoa was now called, laden with corn, and 
ready to sail for Genoa and France ; where their arrival 
would have expedited the entrance of more French 
troops into Italy. “ The general,” said Nelson, “ saw, 
I believe, the consequence of permitting these vessels to 
depart in the same light as myself: but there is this 
difference between us—he prudently, and certainly 
safely, waits the orders of his court, taking no responsi¬ 
bility upon himself; I act from the circumstances of the 
moment, as I feel may be most advantageous for the 
cause wdiich I serve, taking all responsibility on myself.” 
It was in vain to hope for anything vigorous or manly 
from such men as Nelson was compelled to act with. 
The crews of the French ships and their allies were 
ordered to depart in two days. Four days elapsed, and 
nobody obeyed the order ; nor, in spite of the represen¬ 
tations of the British minister, Mr. Wyndham, were any 
means taken to enforce it: — the true Neapolitan shuffle, 
as Nelson called it, took place on all occasions. After 
an absence of ten days, he returned to Naples : and re¬ 
ceiving intelligence there, from Mr. Wyndham, that the 
privateers were at last to be disarmed, the corn landed, 
and the crews sent away, he expressed his satisfaction at 
the news in characteristic language, saying, “So far .1 


21C 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


am content. The enemy will be distressed ; and, thank 
G-od, I shall get no money. The world, I know, think 
that money is our god; and now they will be undeceived, 
as far as relates to us. Down, down with the French I 
is my constant prayer.” 

Odes, sonnets, and congratulatory poems, of every 
description, were poured in upon Nelson, on his arrival 
at Naples. An Irish Franciscan, who was one of the 
poets, not being content with panegyric, upon this occa¬ 
sion ventured upon a flight of prophecy, and predicted 
that Lord Nelson would take Home with his ships. 
His lordship reminded Father McCormick that ships 
could not ascend the Tiber: but the father, who had 
probably forgotten this circumstance, met the objection 
with a bold front, and declared he saw that it would 
come to pass notwithstanding. Eejoicings of this kind 
were of short duration. The King of Naples was with 
the army which had entered Eome; but the castle of 
St. Angelo was held by the French, and 13,000 French 
were strongly posted in the Eoman states at Castallana. 
Mack had marched against them with 20,000 men. 
Nelson saw that the event was doubtful; — or rather, 
that there could be very little hope of the result. But 
the immediate fate of Naples, as he well knew, hung 
upon the issue. “ If Mack is defeated,” said he, “ in 
fourteen days this country is lost; for the emperor has 
not yet moved his army, and Naples has not the power 
of resisting the enemy. It was not a case for choice, 
but of necessity, which induced the king to march out 
of his kingdom, and not wait till the French had col¬ 
lected a force sufficient to drive him out of it in a week.” 
He had no reliance upon the Neapolitan officers; who. 


1T98. 


HIS PRESAGE OF DEFEAT. 


211 


as lie described them, seemed frightened at a drawn 
sword or a loaded gun; and he was perfectly aware of 
the consequences which the sluggish movements and 
deceitful policy of the Austrians were likely to bring 
down upon themselves, and all their Continental allies. 
“ A delayed war, on the part of the emperor,” said he, 
writing to the British minister at Vienna, “ will be de¬ 
structive to this monarchy of Naples ; and, of course, to 
the newly-acquired dominions of the emperor in Italy. 
Had the war commenced in September or October, all 
Italy would, at this moment, have been liberated. This 
month is worse than the last: the next will render the 
contest doubtful: and, in six months, when the Nea¬ 
politan republic will be organised, armed, and with its 
numerous resources called forth, the emperor will not 
only be defeated in Italy, but will totter on his throne 
at Vienna. Down , down with the French ! ought to 
be written in the council-room of every country in the 
world : and may Almighty Gfod give right thoughts to 
every sovereign, is my constant prayer! ” His perfect 
foresight of the immediate event was clearly shown in 
this letter, when he desired the ambassador to assure 
the empress (who was a daughter of the house of Naples) 
that, notwithstanding the councils which had shaken the 
throne of her father and mother, he would remain there, 
ready to save their persons, and her brothers and sisters; 
and that he had also left ships at Leghorn, to save the 
lives of the grand duke and her sister: “For all,” said 
ne, " must be a republic, if the emperor does not act 
with expedition and vigour.” 

His fears were soon verified. “The Neapolitan 
officers,” said Nelson, “did not lose much honour, for, 


212 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


Grod knows, they had not much to lose;—but they lost 
all they had.” General St. Philip commanded the 
right wing, of 19,000 men. He fell in with 3000 of 
the enemy; and, as soon as t he came near enough, 
deserted to them, One of his men had virtue enough 
to level a musket at him, and shot him through the 
arm; but the wound was not sufficient to prevent him 
from joining with the French in pursuit of his own 
countrymen. Cannon, tents, baggage, and military 
chest, were all forsaken by the runaways, though they 
lost only forty men: for the French, having put them 
to flight, and got possession of everything, did not 
pursue an army of more than three times their own 
number. The main body of the Neapolitans, under 
Mack, did not behave better. The king returned to 
Naples; where every day brought with it the tidings of 
some new disgrace from the army, and the discovery of 
some new treachery at home; till four days after his 
return, the general sent him advice, that there was no 
prospect of stopping the progress of the enemy, and 
that the royal family must look to their own personal 
safety. The state of the public mind at Naples was 
such, at this time, that neither- the British minister 
nor the British admiral thought it prudent to appear 
at court. Their motions were watched; and the re¬ 
volutionists had even formed a plan for seizing and 
detaining them as hostages, to prevent any attack on 
the city after the French should have taken possession 
of it. A letter, which Nelson addressed at this time 
to the First Lord of the Admiralty, shows in what 
manner he contemplated the possible issue of the storm. 
L was in these words:—“My dear lord,— There is an 


21d 


1798. PREPARATIONS FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY’S FLIGHT. 

! ESTASLi.::;:., ... 

old saying, that when things are at the worst they must 
mend:—now the mind -of man cannot fancy things 
worse than they are here. But, thank Grodi my health 
is better, my mind never firmer, and my heart in the 
right trim to comfort, relieve, and protect those whom 
it is my duty to afford assistance to. Pray, my lord, 
assure our gracious sovereign that, while I live, I will 
support his glory: and that, if I fall, it shall be in a 
manner worthy of your lordship’s faithful and obliged 
Nelson. I must not write more. Every word may be 
a text for a long letter.” 

Meantime Lady Hamilton arranged everything for 
the removal of the royal family. This was conducted, 
on her part, with the greatest address, and without 
suspicion, because she had been in habits of constant 
correspondence with the queen. It was known that the 
removal could not be effected without danger; for the 
mob, and especially the lazzaroni, were attached to the 
king: and as, at this time, they felt a natural pre¬ 
sumption in their own numbers and strength, they in¬ 
sisted that he should not leave Naples. Several persons 
fell victims to their fury: among others was a messengei 
from Vienna, whose body was dragged under the win¬ 
dows of the palace in the king’s sight. The king and 
queen spoke to the mob, and pacified them; but it 
would not have been safe, while they were in this 
agitated state, to have embarked the effects of the royal 
family openly. Lady Hamilton, like a heroine of modern 
romance, explored, with no little danger, a subterraneous 
passage, leading from the palace to the seaside : through 
this passage the royal treasures, the choicest pieces of ‘ 
painting and sculpture, and other property, to the 


214 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1798. 


amount of two millions and a half, were conveyed to 
the shore, and stowed safely on board the English ships. 
On the night of the 21st, at half-past eight, Nelson 
landed, brought out the whole royal family, embarked 
them in three barges, and carried them safely, through 
a tremendous sea, to the Vanguard. Notice was then 
immediately given to the British merchants, that they 
would be received on board any ship in the squadron. 
Their property had previously been embarked in trans¬ 
ports. Two days were passed in the bay, for the 
purpose of taking such persons on board as required an 
asylum; and, on the night of the 23d, the fleet sailed. 
The next day a more violent storm arose than Nelson 
had ever before encountered. On the 25th, the youngest 
of the princes was taken ill, and died in Lady Hamilton’s 
arms. During this whole trying season, Lady Hamilton 
waited upon the royal family with the zeal of the most 
devoted servant, at a time when, except one man, no 
person belonging to the court assisted them. 

On the morning of the 26th, the royal family were 
landed at Palermo. It was soon seen that their flight 
had not been premature. Prince Pignatelli, who had 
been left as vicar-general and viceroy, with orders to 
defend the kingdom to the last rock in Calabria, sent 
plenipotentiaries to the French camp before Capua; 
and they, for the sake of saving the capital, signed an 
armistice, by which the greater part of the kingdom 
was given up to the enemy: a cession that necessarily 
led to the loss of the whole. This was on the 10th of 
January. The French advanced towards Naples. Mack, 
under pretext of taking shelter from the fury of the 
lazzaroni, fled to the French general Championet, who 


1799. 


THE FRENCH ENTER NAPLES. 


215 


sent him under an escort to Milan : but as France hoped 
for further services from this wretched traitor, it was 
thought prudent to treat him apparently as a prisoner 
of war. The Neapolitan army disappeared in a few 
days: of the men, some, following their officers, de¬ 
serted to the enemy: the greater part took the oppor¬ 
tunity of disbanding themselves. The lazzaroni proved 
true to their country: they attacked the enemy’s ad¬ 
vanced posts, drove them in, and were not dispirited by 
the murderous defeat which they suffered from the 
main body. Flying into the city, they continued to 
defend it, even after the French had planted their 
artillery in the principal streets. Had there been a 
man of genius to have directed their enthusiasm, or had 
there been any correspondent feelings in the higher 
ranks, Naples might have set a glorious example to 
Europe, and have proved the grave of every Frenchman 
who entered it. But the vices of the government had 
extinguished all other patriotism than that of a rabble, 
who had no other virtue than that sort of loyalty which 
was like the fidelity of a dog to its master. This 
fidelity the French and their adherents counteracted 
by another kind of devotion: the priests affirmed that 
St. Januarius had declared in favour of the revolution. 
The miracle of his blood was performed with the usual 
success, and more than usual effect, on the very evening 
when, after two days of desperate fighting, the French 
obtained possession of Naples. A French guard of 
honour was stationed at his church. Championet gave, 
“ Eespect for St. Januarius ! ” as the word for the army; 
and the next day Te Deum was sung by the archbishop, 
in the cathedral; and the inhabitants were invited to 


216 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


attend the ceremony, and join in thanksgiving for tne 
glorious entry of the French; who, it was said, being 
under the peculiar protection of Providence, had re¬ 
generated the Neapolitans, and were come to establish 
and consolidate their happiness. 

It seems to have been Nelson’s opinion, that the 
Austrian cabinet regarded the conquest of Naples with 
complacency, and that its measures were directed so as 
designedly not to prevent the French from overrunning 
it. That cabinet was assuredly capable of any folly and 
of any baseness : and it is not improbable that, at this 
time, calculating upon the success of the new coalition, 
it indulged a dream of adding extensively to its former 
Italian possessions ; and, therefore, left the few remain¬ 
ing powers of Italy to be overthrown, as a means which 
would facilitate its own ambitious views. The King of 
Sardinia, finding it impossible longer to endure the 
exactions of France, and the insults of the French 
commissary, went to Leghorn, embarked on board a 
Danish frigate, and sailed, under British protection, to 
Sardinia—that part of his dominions which the mari¬ 
time supremacy of England rendered a secure asylum. 
On his arrival he published a protest against the conduct 
of France ; declaring, upon the faith and word of a king, 
that he had never infringed, even in the slightest degree, 
the treaties which he had made with the French 
republic. Tuscany was soon occupied by French troops: 
a fate which bolder policy might, perhaps, have failed 
to avert, but which its weak and timid neutrality ren¬ 
dered inevitable. Nelson began to fear even for Sicily. 
“ Oh, my dear sir,” said he, writing to Commodore 
Duckworth, (s one thousand English troops would save 


•7S9. 


HE IS REINFORCED RT TROWBRIDGE. 


217 


Messina,—and I fear Greneral Stuart cannot give me 
men to save this most important island!” But his 
representations were not lost upon Sir Charles Stuart: 
this officer hastened immediately from Minorca, with a 
thousand men, assisted in the measures of defence 
which were taken, and did not return before he had 
satisfied himself, that, if the Neapolitans were excluded 
from the management of affairs, and the spirit of the 
peasantry properly directed, Sicily was safe. Before his 
coming. Nelson had offered the king, if no resources 
should arrive, to defend Messina with the ship’s com¬ 
pany of an English man-of-war. 

Russia had now entered into the war. Corfu sur- 

m 

rendered to a Russian and Turkish fleet, acting now, 
for the first time, in strange confederacy; yet against a 
power which was certainly the common and worst enemy 
of both. Trowbridge, having given up the blockade of 
Alexandria to Sir Sydney Smith, joined Nelson, bring¬ 
ing with him a considerable addition of strength; and 
in himself, what Nelson valued more, a man upon whose 
sagacity, indefatigable zeal, and inexhaustible resources, 
he could place full reliance. Trowbridge was instructed 
to commence the operations against the French in the 
bay of Naples. Meantime Cardinal Ruffo, a man of 
questionable character, but of a temper fitted for such 
times, having landed in Calabria, raised what he called 
a Christian army, composed of the best and the vilest 
materials; loyal peasants, enthusiastic priests and friars, 
galley slaves, the emptying of the jails, and banditti. 
The islands in the bay of Naples were joyfully delivered 
up by the inhabitants, who were in a state of famine 
already, from the effect of this baleful revolution, 


218 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


Trowbridge distributed among them all his flour; and 
Nelson pressed the Sicilian court incessantly for supplies; 
telling them, that 10,000£. given away in provisions 
would, at this time, purchase a kingdom. Money, he 
was told, they had not to give; and the wisdom and 
integrity which might have supplied its want were not 
to be found. “There is nothing,” said he, “ which I 
propose that is not, as far as orders go, implicitly com¬ 
plied with: but the execution is dreadful, and almost 
makes me mad. My desire to serve their majesties 
faithfully, as is my duty, has been such, that I am 
almost blind and worn out; and cannot, in my present 
state, hold much longer.” 

Before any government can be overthrown by the 
consent of the people, the government must be into¬ 
lerably oppressive, or the people throughly corrupted. 
Bad as the misrule at Naples had been, its consequences 
had been felt far less there than in Sicily; and the 
peasantry had that attachment to the soil, which gives 
birth to so many of the noblest, as well as of the hap¬ 
piest feelings. In all the islands the people were per¬ 
fectly frantic with joy, when they saw the Neapolitan 
colours hoisted. At Procida, Trowbridge could not 
procure even a rag of the tri-coloured flag to lay at the 
king’s feet; it was rent into ten thousand pieces by the 
inhabitants, and entirely destroyed. “ The horrid 
treatment of the French,” he said, “ had made them 
mad.” It exasperated the ferocity of a character which 
neither the laws nor the religion under which they lived 
tended to mitigate. Their hatred was especially di¬ 
rected against the Neapolitan revolutionists; and the 
fishermen, in concert among themselves, chose each his 


1799. 


STATE OF POPULAR FEELING. 


219 


own victim, whom he would stiletto when the day of 
vengeance should arrive. The head of one was sent off 
one morning to Trowbridge, with his basket of grapes 
for breakfast;—and a note from the Italian who had 
what he called the glory of presenting it, saying, he 
had killed the man as he was running away, and 
begging his excellency to accept the head, and consider 
it as a proof of the writer’s attachment to the crown. 
With the first success of the court the work of punish¬ 
ment began. The judge at Ischia said it was necessary 
to have a bishop to degrade the traitorous priests before 
he could execute them : upon which Trowbridge advised 
him to hang them first, and send them to him afterwards, 
if he did not think that degradation sufficient. This 
was said with the straightforward feeling of a sailor, who 
cared as little for canon law as he knew about it: but 
when he discovered that the judge’s orders were to go 
through the business in a summary manner, under his 
sanction, he told him at once, that could not be, for the 
prisoners were not British subjects; and he declined 
having anything to do with it. There were manifestly 
persons about the court, who, while they thirsted for the 
pleasure of vengeance, were devising how to throw the 
odium of it upon the English. They wanted to employ an 
English man-of-war to carry the priests to Palermo, for 
degradation, and then bring them back for execution; —• 
and they applied to Trowbridge for a hangman, which he 
indignantly refused. He, meantime, was almost heart¬ 
broken by the situation in which he found himself. He 
had promised relief to the islanders, relying upon the 
queen’s promise to him. He had distributed the whole 
of his private stock,—there was plenty of grain at 


220 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


Palermo, and in its neighbourhood, and yet none was 
sent him : the enemy, he complained, had more interest 
there than the king; and the distress for bread, which 
he witnessed, was such, he said, that it would move even 
a Frenchman to pity. 

Nelson’s mind was not in a happier state respecting 
public affairs. “ As to politics,” said he, “ at this time 
they are my abomination :—the ministers of kings and 
princes are as great scoundrels as ever lived. The 
brother of the emperor is just going to marry the great 
something of Russia, and it is more than expected that 
a kingdom is to be found for him in Italy, and that the 
King of Naples will be sacrificed.” Had there been a 
wise and manly spirit in the Italian states, or had the 
conduct of Austria been directed by anything like a 
principle of honour, a more favourable opportunity 
could not have been desired, for restoring order and 
prosperity in Europe, than the misconduct of the French 
Directory at this time afforded. But Nelson saw selfish¬ 
ness and knavery wherever he looked; and even the 
pleasure of seeing a cause prosper, in which he was so 
zealously engaged, was poisoned by his sense of the ras¬ 
cality of those with whom he was compelled to act. At 
this juncture intelligence arrived that the French fleet 
had escaped from Brest, under cover of a fog, passed 
Cadiz unseen by Lord Keith’s squadron, in hazy weather, 
and entered the Mediterranean. It was said to consist 
of twenty-four sail of the line, six frigates, and three 
sloops. The object of the French was to liberate the 
Spanish fleet, form a junction with them, act against 
Minorca and Sicily, and overpower our naval force in 
the Mediterranean, by falling in with detached squa- 



1799. 


STATE OF HIS MIND AT THIS TIME. 


221 


drons, and thus destroying it in detail. When they 
arrived off Carthagena, they requested the Spanish ships 
to make sail and join; but the Spaniards replied, they 
had not men to man them. To this it was answered, 
that the French had men enough on board for that 
purpose. But the Spaniards seem to have been appre¬ 
hensive of delivering up their ships thus entirely into 
the power of such allies, and refused to come out. The 
fleet from Cadiz, however, consisting of from seventeen 
to twenty sail of the line, got out, under Masaredo, a 
man who then bore an honourable name, which he has 
since rendered infamous by betraying his country. They 
met with a violent storm off the coast of Oran, which 
dismasted many of their ships, and so effectually dis¬ 
abled them, as to prevent the junction, and frustrate a 
well-planned expedition. 

Before this occurred, and while the junction was as 
probable as it would have been formidable, Nelson was 
in a state of the greatest anxiety. “ What a state am I 
in ! ” said he to Earl St. Vincent. “ If I go, I risk, and 
more than risk, Sicily: for we know, from experience, 
that more depends upon opinion than upon acts them¬ 
selves : and as I stay, my heart is breaking.” His first 
business was to summon Trowbridge to join him, with 
all the ships of the line under his command, and a fri¬ 
gate, if possible. Then hearing that the French had 
entered the Mediterranean, and expecting them at 
Palermo, where he had only his own ship, with that 
single ship he prepared to make all the resistance pos¬ 
sible. Trowbridge having joined him, he left Captain 
E. J. Foote, of the Seahorse , to command the smaller 
vessels in the bay of Naples, and sailed with six ships; 


222 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


one a Portuguese, and a Portuguese corvette; telling 
Earl St. Vincent that the squadron should never fall 
into the hands of the enemy. “ And before we are 
destroyed,” said he, “ I have little doubt but they will 
have their wings so completely clipped, that they may 
be easily overtaken.” It was just at this time that he 
received from Captain Hallowell the present of the 
coffin. Such a present was regarded by the men with 
natural astonishment: one of his old shipmates in the 
Agamemnon said—“We shall have hot work of it 
indeed ! You see the admiral intends to fight till he 
is killed ; and there he is to be buried.” Nelson placed 
it upright against the bulkhead of his cabin, behind his 
chair, where he sat at dinner. The gift suited him at 
this time. It is said that he was disappointed in the 
step-son whom he had loved so dearly from his child¬ 
hood, and who had saved his life at Teneriffe: and it is 
certain that he had now formed an infatuated attach¬ 
ment for Lady Hamilton, which totally weaned his 
affections from his wife. Further than this, there is no 
reason to believe that this most unfortunate attachment 
was criminal: but this was criminality enough, and it 
brought with it its punishment. Nelson was dissatis¬ 
fied with himself, and therefore weary of the world. 
This feeling he now frequently expressed. “ There is 
no true happiness in this life,” said he ; “ and in my 
present state I could quit it with a smile.” And in a 
letter to his old friend Davison, he said : <c Believe me, 
my only wish is to sink with honour into the grave; 
and when that shall please Hod, I shall meet death 
wdth a smile. Not that I am insensible to the honours 
and riches my king and country have heaped upon me— 


1799. 


COMBINED MOVEMENTS ON SEA AND LAND, 


223 


bo much more than any officer could deserve ; yet am I 
ready to quit this world of trouble, and envy none but 
those of the estate six feet by two.” 

Well had it been for Nelson if he had made no 
other sacrifices to this unhappy attachment than his 
peace of mind; but it led to the only blot upon his 
public character. While he sailed from Palermo, with 
the intention of collecting his whole force, and keeping 
off Maretimo, either to receive reinforcements there, 
if the French were bound upwards, or to hasten to 
Minorca, if that should be their destination, Captain 
Foote, in the Seahorse , with the Neapolitan frigates 
and some small vessels under his command, was left to 
act with a land force consisting of a few regular troops, 
of four different nations, and with the armed rabble 
which Cardinal Kuffo called the Christian army. His 
directions were, to co-operate to the utmost of his 
power with royalists, at whose head Ruffo had been 
placed; and he had no other instructions whatever. 
Ruffo advancing, without any plan, but relying upon 
the enemy’s want of numbers, which prevented them 
from attempting to act upon the offensive, and ready 
to take advantage of any accident which might occur, 
approached Naples. Fort St. Elmo, which commands 
the town, was wholly garrisoned by the French troops; 
the castles of Uovo and Nuovo, which commanded the 
anchorage, were chiefly defended by Neapolitan revo¬ 
lutionists, the powerful men among them having taken 
shelter there. If these castles were taken, the reduc¬ 
tion of Fort St. Elmo would be greatly expedited. They 
were strong places, and there was reason to apprehend 
that the French fleet might arrive to relieve them. 


224 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799 


Ruffo proposed to the garrison to capitulate, on condi¬ 
tion that their persons and property should be guaran¬ 
teed, and that they should, at their own option, either 
be sent to Toulon or remain at Naples, without being 
molested either in their persons or families. This 
capitulation was accepted : it was signed by the car¬ 
dinal, and the Russian and Turkish commanders; and, 
lastly, by Captain Foote, as commander of the British 
force. About six-and-thirty hours afterwards Nelson 
arrived in the bay, with a force, which had joined him 



NELSON’S ARRIVAL IN THE BAY OF NAPLES. 


uuring his cruise, consisting of seventeen sail of the 
line, with 1700 troops on board, and the prince-royal 
of Naples in the admiral’s ship. A flag of truce was 
flying on the castles, and on board the Seahorse. 
Nelson made a signal to annul the treaty, declaring 













1799. 


PRINCE FRANCESCO CARACCIOLI. 


225 


that he would grant rebels no other terms than those 
of unconditional submission. The cardinal objected to 
this; nor could all the arguments of Nelson, Sir 
William Hamilton, and Lady Hamilton, who took an 
active part in the conference, convince him that a 
treaty of such a nature, solemnly concluded, could 
honourably be set aside. He retired at last, silenced 
by Nelson’s authority, but not convinced. Captain 
Foote was sent out of the bay; and the garrisons, taken 
out of the castles, under pretence of carrying the treaty 
into effect, were delivered over as rebels to the ven¬ 
geance of the Sicilian court.—A deplorable transaction ! 
a stain upon the memory of Nelson, and the honour of 
England ! To palliate it would be in vain ; to justify 
it would be wicked: there is no alternative for one who 
will not make himself a participator in guilt, but to 
record the disgraceful story with sorrow and with 
shame. 

Prince Francesco Caraccioli, a younger branch of 
one of the noblest Neapolitan families, escaped from 
one of these castles before it capitulated. He was at 
the head of the marine, and was nearly seventy years of 
age, bearing a high character, both for professional and 
personal merit. He had accompanied the court to 
Sicily: but when the revolutionary government, or 
Parthenopaean Eepublic, as it was called, issued an 
edict, ordering all absent Neapolitans to return, on pain 
of confiscation of their property, he solicited and ob¬ 
tained permission of the king to return, his estates 
being very great. It is said that the king, when he 
granted him this permission, warned him not to take 
any part in politics; expressing, at tne same time, bis 

Q 


226 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


own persuasion that he should recover his kingdom. 
But neither the king, nor he himself, ought to have 
imagined that, in such times, a man of such reputation 
would be permitted to remain inactive; and it soon 
appeared that Caraccioli was again in command of the 
navy, and serving under the republic against his late 
sovereign. The sailors reported that he was forced 
to act thus; and this was believed, till it was seen 
that he directed ably the offensive operations of the 
revolutionists, and did not avail himself of oppor¬ 
tunities for escaping when they offered. When the 
recovery of Naples was evidently near, he applied to 
Cardinal Ruffo, and to the Duke of Calvirrano, for 
protection; expressing his hope, that the few days 
during which he had been forced to obey the French 
would not outweigh forty years of faithful services; 
but, perhaps not receiving such assurances as he wished, 
and knowing too well the temper of the Sicilian court, 
he endeavoured to secrete himself, and a price was set 
upon his head. More unfortunately for others than 
for himself, he was brought in alive, having been dis¬ 
covered in the disguise of a peasant, and carried one 
morning on board Lord Nelson’s ship, with his hands 
tied behind him. 

Caraccioli was well known to the British officers, 
and had been ever highly esteemed by all who knew 
him. Captain Hardy ordered him immediately to be 
unbound, and to be treated with all those attentions 
which he felt due to a man who, when last on board 
the Foudroyant , had been received as an admiral and 
a prince. Sir William and Lady Hamilton were in the 
ship, but Nelson, it is affirmed, saw no one except his 





1799. 


HIS CONDUCT TO CARACCIOLI. 


227 


own officers during the tragedy which ensued. His 
own determination was made; and he issued an order 
to the Neapolitan commodore. Count Thurn, to as¬ 
semble a court-martial of Neapolitan officers, on board 
the British flag-ship, proceed immediately to try the 
prisoner, and report to him, if the charges were proved, 
what punishment he ought to suffer. These proceedings 
were as rapid as possible; Caraccioli was brought on 
board at nine in the forenoon, and the trial began at 
ten. It lasted two hours : he averred, in his defence, 
that he had acted under compulsion, having been com¬ 
pelled to serve as a common soldier, till he consented 
to take command of the fleet. This, the apologists of 
Lord Nelson say, he failed in proving. They forget 
that the possibility of proving it was not allowed him ; 
for he was brought to trial within an hour after he was 
legally in arrest; and how, in that time, was he to 
collect his witnesses ? He was found guilty, and sen¬ 
tenced to death; and Nelson gave orders that the sen¬ 
tence should be carried into effect that evening, at five 
o’clock, on board the Sicilian frigate, La Minerva , by 
hanging him at the fore-yard-arm till sunset; when the 
body was to be cut down and thrown into the sea. 
Caraccioli requested Lieutenant Parkinson, under whose 
custody he was placed, to intercede with Lord Nelson 
for a second trial,—for this, among other reasons, that 
Count Thurn, who presided at the court-martial, was 
notoriously his personal enemy. Nelson made answer, 
that the prisoner had been fairly tried by the officers of 
his own country, and he could not interfere—forgetting 
that, if he felt himself justified in ordering the trial 
and the execution, no human being could ever have 


228 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


questioned the propriety of his interfering on the side 
of mercy. Caraccioli then entreated that he might he 
shot.—“ I am an old man, sir,” said he; “ I leave no 
family to lament me, and therefore cannot be supposed 
to be very anxious about prolonging my life; but the 
disgrace of being hanged is dreadful to me.” When 
this was repeated to Nelson, he only told the lieutenant, 
with much agitation, to go and attend to his duty. As 
a last hope, Caraccioli asked the lieutenant if he thought 
an application to Lady Hamilton would be beneficial ? 
Parkinson went to seek her. She was not to be seen 
on this occasion,—but she was present at the execution. 
She had the most devoted attachment to the Neapolitan 
court; and the hatred which she felt against those 
whom she regarded as its enemies made her, at this 
time, forget what was due to the character of her sex, 
as well as of her country. Here, also, a faithful 
historian is called upon to pronounce a severe and un¬ 
qualified condemnation of Nelson’s conduct. Had he 
the authority of his Sicilian Majesty for proceeding as 
he did ? If so, why was hot that authority produced ? 
If not, why were the proceedings hurried on without it ? 
Why was the trial precipitated so that it was impossible 
for the prisoner, if he had been innocent, to provide 
the witnesses who might have proved him so ? Why 
was a second trial refused, when the known animosity 
of the president of the court against the prisoner was 
considered ? Why was the execution hastened so as to 
preclude any appeal for mercy, and render the pre¬ 
rogative of mercy useless?—Doubtless, the British ad¬ 
miral seemed to himself to be acting under a rigid 

~ o 

sense of justice ; but, to all other persons, it was obvious 







1799. 


CARACCIOLl’s BODY AFLOAT. 


229 


that he was influenced by an infatuated attachment — 
a baneful passion, which destroyed his domestic happi¬ 
ness, and now, in a second instance, stained ineffaceably 
his public character. 

The body was carried out to a considerable distance, 
and sunk in the bay, with three double-headed shot, 
weighing two hundred and fifty pounds, tied to its legs. 
Between two and three weeks afterwards, when the 
king was on board the Foudroyant , a Neapolitan 
fisherman came to the ship, and solemnly declared that 
Caraccioli had risen from the bottom of the sea, and 
was coming, as fast as he could, to Naples, swimming 
half out of the water. Such an account was listened 
to like a tale of idle credulity. The day being fair. 
Nelson, to please the king, stood out to sea; but the 
ship had not proceeded far before a body was distinctly 
seen, upright in the water, and approaching them. It 
was soon recognised to be, indeed, the corpse of Carac¬ 
cioli, which had risen and floated, while the great 
weights attached to the legs kept the body in a position 
like that of a living man. A fact so extraordinary 
astonished the king, and perhaps excited some feeling 
of superstitious fear, akin to regret. He gave per¬ 
mission for the body to be taken on shore, and receive 
Christian burial. It produced no better effect. Naples 
exhibited more dreadful scenes than it had witnessed 
in the days of Massaniello. After the mob had had 
their fill of blood and plunder, the reins were given 
to justice—if that can be called justice which annuls 
its own stipulations, looks to the naked facts alone, 
disregarding all motives and all circumstances; and, 
without considering character or science, or sex, or 


230 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


youth, sacrifices its victims, not for the public weal, 
but for the gratification of greedy vengeance. 

The castles of St. Elmo, Graieta, and Capua, re¬ 
mained to be subdued. On the land side, there was 
no danger that the French in these garrisons should be 
relieved, for Suvarof was now beginning to drive the 
enemy before him; but Nelson thought his presence 
necessary in the bay of Naples: and when Lord Keith, 
having received intelligence that the French and Spanish 
fleets had formed a junction, and sailed for Carthagena, 
ordered him to repair to Minorca, with the whole or 
the greater part of his force, he sent Admiral Duck¬ 
worth with a small part only. This was a dilemma 
which he had foreseen. “ Should such an order come 
at this moment,” he said, in a letter previously written 
to the Admiralty, “ it would be a case for some con¬ 
sideration, whether Minorca is to be risked, or the two 
kingdoms of Naples and Sicily: I rather think my 
decision would be to risk the former.” And, after he 
had acted upon this opinion, he wrote in these terms 
to the Duke of Clarence, with whose high notions of 
obedience he was well acquainted: “ I am well aware 
of the consequences of disobeying my orders; but as I 
have often before risked my life for the good cause, so 
I, with cheerfulness, did my commission, for, although 
a military tribunal may think me criminal, the world 
will approve of my conduct: and I regard not my own 
safety, when the honour of my king is at stake.” 

Nelson was right in his judgment: no attempt was 
made upon Minorca; and the expulsion of the French 
from Naples may rather be said to have been effected, 
than accelerated, by the English and Portuguese of the 










1799. FRENCH DIPLOMACY. 231 

allied fleets acting upon shore, under Trowbridge. The 
French commandant at St. Elmo, relying upon the 
strength of the place, and the nature of the force which 
attacked it, had insulted Captain Foote in the grossest 
terms: but citoyen Mejan was soon taught better 
manners, when Trowbridge, in spite of every obstacle, 
opened five batteries upon the fort. He was informed, 
that none of his letters, with the insolent printed words 
at the top, Liberte , Egalite, Guerre aux Tyrans, &c., 
would be received; but that, if he wrote like a soldier 
and a gentleman, he should be answered in the same 
style. The Frenchman then began to flatter his anta¬ 
gonist upon the bienfaisance and humanite, which, he 
said, were the least of the many virtues which distin¬ 
guished Monsieur Trowbridge. Monsieur Trowbridge’s 
bienfaisance was, at this time, thinking of mining the 
fort.—“If we can accomplish that,” said he, “I am a 
strong advocate to send them, hostages and all, to Old 
Nick, and surprise him with a group of nobility and 
republicans. Meantime,” he added, “ it was some 
satisfaction to perceive that the shells fell well, and 
broke some of their shms.” Finally, to complete his 
character, Mejan offered to surrender for 150,000 ducats. 
Great Britain, perhaps, has made but too little use of 
this kind of artillery, which France has found so effectual 
towards subjugating the Continent: but Trowbridge had 
the prey within his reach; and, in the course of a few 
days, his last battery, “ after much trouble and palaver,” 
as he said, “ brought the vagabonds to their senses.” 

Trowbridge had more difficulties to overcome in 
this siege, from the character of the Neapolitans who 
pretended to assist him, and whom he made useful,. 


232 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


than even from the strength of the place and the skill 
of the French. “ Such damned cowards and villains,” 
he declared, “he had never se^n before.” The men 
at the advanced posts carried on, what he called, “a 
diabolical good understanding ” with the enemy, and 
the workmen would sometimes take fright and run 
away. “I make the best I can,” said he, “of the 
degenerate race I have to deal with: the whole means 
of guns, ammunition, pioneers, &c., with all materials, 
rest with them. With fair promises to the men, and 
threats of instant death if I found any one erring, a 
little spur has been given.” Nelson said of him, with 
truth, upon this occasion, that he was a first-rate 
general. “ I find, sir,” said he afterwards, in a letter 
to the Duke of Clarence, “that General Koehler does 
not approve of such irregular proceedings as naval 
officers attacking and defending fortifications. We 
have but one idea,—to get close alongside. None but 
a sailor would have placed a battery only one hundred 
and eighty yards from the castle of St. Elmo: a soldier 
must have gone according to art, and the wwww way. 
My brave Trowbridge went straight on, for we had no 
time to spare.” 

Trowbridge then proceeded to Capua, and took the 
command of the motley besieging force. One thousand 
of the best men in the fleet were sent to assist in the 
siege. Just at this time Nelson received a peremptory 
order from Lord Keith, to sail with the whole of his 
force for the protection of Minorca; or, at least, to 
retain no more than was absolutely necessary at Sicily. 
“You will easily conceive my feelings,” said he, in com¬ 
municating this to Earl St. Vincent: “but my mind, 


1799. 


HIS REASONS FOR NOT GOING TO MINORCA. 


233 


as your lordship knows, was perfectly prepared for this 
order; and it is now, more than ever, made up. At 
this moment I will not part with a single ship; as I 
cannot do that without drawing a hundred and twenty 
men from each ship, now at the siege of Capua. I am 
fully aware of the act I have committed; but I am 
prepared for any fate which may await my disobedience. 
Capua and Graieta will soon fall; and the moment the 
scoundrels of French are out of this kingdom, I shall 
send eight or nine ships of the line to Minorca. I have 
done what I thought right: others may think differently: 
but it will be my consolation that I have gained a king¬ 
dom, seated a faithful ally of his Majesty firmly on his 
throne, and restored happiness to millions.” 

At Capua, Trowbridge had the same difficulties as 
at St. Elmo; and being farther from Naples, and from 
the fleet, was less able to overcome them. The powder 
was so bad that he suspected treachery: and when he 
asked Nelson to spare him forty casks from the ships, 
he told him it would be necessary that some Englishmen 
should accompany it, or they would steal one half, and 
change the other. “Every man you see,” said he, 
“ gentle and simple, are such notorious villains, that it 
is a misery to be with them.” Capua, however, soon 
fell. Graieta immediately afterwards surrendered to 
Captain Louis of the Minotaur. Here the commanding 
officer acted more unlike a Frenchman, Captain Louis 
said, than any one he had ever met; meaning that he 
acted like a man of honour. He required, however, 
that the garrison should carry away their horses and 
other pillaged property: to which Nelson replied, “ That 
no property which they did not bring with them into 


234 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


the country could be theirs; and that the greatest care 
should be taken to prevent them from carrying it 
away .”—“ I am sorry,” said he to Captain Louis, “ that 
you have entered into any altercation. There is no 
way of dealing with a Frenchman but to knock him 
down: to be civil to them is only to be laughed at, 
when they are enemies.” 

The whole kingdom of Naples was thus delivered 
by Nelson from the French. The Admiralty, however, 
thought it expedient to censure him for disobeying 
Lord Keith’s orders, and thus hazarding Minorca, with¬ 
out, as it appeared to them, any sufficient reason; and 
also for having landed seamen for the siege of Capua* 
to form part of an army employed in operations at a 
distance from the coast; where, in case of defeat, they 
might have been prevented from returning to their 
ships; and they enjoined him “ not to employ the 
seamen in like manner in future.” This reprimand 
was issued before the event was known; though, indeed, 
the event would not affect the principle upon which it 
proceeded. When Nelson communicated the tidings 
of his complete success he said, in his public letter, 
“that it would not be the less acceptable for having 
been principally brought about by British sailors.” His 
judgment in thus employing them had been justified by 
the result; and his joy was evidently heightened by the 
gratification of a professional and becoming pride. To 
the First Lord he said, at the same time, “ I certainly, 
from having only a left hand, cannot enter into details 
which may explain the motives that actuated my con¬ 
duct. My principle is, to assist in driving the French 
to the devil, and in restoring peace and happiness to 












1799. RESTORATION OF ROYALTY AT NAPLES. 235 

mankind. I feel that I am fitter to do the action than 
to describe it.” He then added, that he would take 
care of Minorca. 

In expelling the French from Naples, Nelson had, 
with characteristic zeal and ability, discharged his duty; 
but he deceived himself, when he imagined that he had 
seated Ferdinand firmly on his throne, and that he had 
restored happiness to millions. These objects might 
have been accomplished if it had been possible to inspire 
virtue and wisdom into a vicious and infatuated court; 
and if Nelson’s eyes had not been, as it were, spell-bound 
by that unhappy attachment which had now completely 
mastered him, he would have seen things as they were; 
and might, perhaps, have awakened the Sicilian court 
to a sense of their interest, if not of their duty. That 
court employed itself in a miserable round of folly and 
festivity, while the prisons of Naples were filled with 
groans, and the scaffolds streamed with blood. St. 
Januarius was solemnly removed from his rank as patron 
saint of the kingdom, having been convicted of Jaco¬ 
binism; and St. Antonio as solemnly installed in his 
place. The king, instead of re-establishing order at 
Naples by his presence, speedily returned to Palermo, 
to indulge in his favourite amusements. Nelson, and 
the ambassador’s family, accompanied the court; and 
Trowbridge remained, groaning over the villany and 
frivolity of those with whom he was compelled to deal. 
A party of officers applied to him for a passage to 
Palermo, to see the procession of St. Eosalia:—he re¬ 
commended them to exercise their troops, and not 
behave like children. It was grief enough for him 
that the court should be busied in these follies, and 


236 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


Nelson involved in them. “ I dread, my lord,” said he, 
“ all the feasting, &c., at Palermo. I am sure your 
health will be hurt. If so, all their saints will be 
damned by the navy. The king would be better em¬ 
ployed digesting a good government: everything gives 
way to their pleasures. The money spent at Palermo 
gives discontent here : fifty thousand people are unem¬ 
ployed, trade discouraged, manufactures at a stand. It 
is the interest of many here to keep the king away : 
they all dread reform. Their villanies are so deeply 
rooted, that, if some method is not taken to dig them 
out, this government cannot hold together. Out of 
twenty millions of ducats, collected as the revenue, only 
thirteen millions reach the treasury; and the king pays 
four ducats where he should pay one. He is sur¬ 
rounded by thieves ; and none of them have honour or 
honesty enough to tell him the real and true state of 
things.” In another letter, he expressed his sense of 
the miserable state of Naples. “ There are upwards of 
forty thousand families,” said he, “ who have relations 
confined. If some act of oblivion is not passed, there 
will be no end of persecution; for the people of this 
country have no idea of anything but revenge; and, to 
gain a point, would swear ten thousand false oaths. 
Constant efforts are made to get a man taken up in 
order to rob him. The confiscated property does not 
reach the king’s treasury.—All thieves! It is selling 
for nothing. His own people, whom he employs, are 
buying it up, and the vagabonds pocket the whole. I 
should not be surprised to hear that they brought a bill 
of expenses against him for the sale.” 

The Sicilian court, however, were at this time duly 


1799. 


IS CREATED DUKE OF BRONTE. 


237 


sensible of the services which had been rendered them 
by the British fleet, and their gratitude to Nelson was 
shown with proper and princely munificence.—They 
gave him the dukedom and domain of Bronte, worth 
about 3000£. a-year. It was some days before he could 
be persuaded to accept it: the argument which finally 
prevailed is said to have been suggested by the queen, 
and urged, at her request, by Lady Hamilton, upon her 
knees. “ He considered his own honour too much,” 
she said, “ if he persisted in refusing what the king and 
queen felt to be absolutely necessary for the preserva¬ 
tion of theirs.” The king himself, also, is said to have 
addressed him in words which show that the sense of 
rank will sometimes confer a virtue upon those who 
seem to be most unworthy of the lot to which they have 
been born : “ Lord Nelson, do you wish that your name 
alone should pass with honour to posterity; and that I, 
Ferdinand Bourbon, should appear ungrateful ? ” He 
gave him also, when the dukedom was accepted, a 
diamond-hilted sword, which his father, Charles III. of 
Spain, had given him, on his accession to the throne of 
the Two Sicilies. Nelson said, “The reward was mag¬ 
nificent, and worthy of a king, and he was determined 
that the inhabitants on the domain should be the hap¬ 
piest in all his Sicilian Majesty’s dominions.—Yet,” 
said he, speaking of these and the other remunerations 
which were made him for his services, “ these presents, 
rich as they are, do not elevate me. My pride is, that, 
at Constantinople, from the grand seignior to the lowest 
Turk, the name of Nelson is familiar in their mouths; 
and in this country I am everything which a grateful 
monarch and people can call me.” Nelson, however, 


238 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799 


had a pardonable pride in the outward and visible signs 
of honour, which he had so fairly won. He was fond 
of his Sicilian title; the signification, perhaps, pleased 
him;—Duke of Thunder was what in Dahomy would 
be called a strong name; it was to a sailor’s taste; and, 
certainly, to no man could it ever be more applicable. 
But a simple offering, which he received not long after¬ 
wards, from the island of Zante, affected him with a 
deeper and finer feeling. The Greeks of that little 
community sent him a golden-headed sword, and a 
truncheon, set round with all the diamonds that the 
island could furnish, in a single row. They thanked 
him “ for having, by his victory, preserved that part of 
Greece from the horrors of anarchy; and prayed that 
his exploits might accelerate the day, in which, amidst 
the glory and peace of thrones, the miseries of the 
human race would cease.” This unexpected tribute 
touched Nelson to the heart. “No officer,” he said, 
66 had ever received from any country a higher acknow¬ 
ledgment of his services.” 

The French still occupied the Roman states; from 
which, according to their own admission, they had ex¬ 
torted, in jewels, plate, specie, and requisitions of every 
kind, to the enormous amount of eight millions ster¬ 
ling : yet they affected to appear as deliverers among 
the people whom they were thus cruelly plundering ; 
and they distributed portraits of Bonaparte, with the 
blasphemous inscription —“ This is the true likeness of 
the holy saviour of the world !” The people, detesting 
the impiety, and groaning beneath the exactions, of 
these perfidious robbers, were ready to join any regular 
force that should come to their assistance; but they 


1799. PREPARES TO EXPEL THE FRENCH FROM ROME. 239 

dreaded Cardinal Ruffo’s rabble, and declared they 
would resist them as banditti, who came only for the 
purpose of pillage. Nelson perceived that no object 
was now so essential for the tranquillity of Naples as the 
recovery of Rome ; which, in the present state of things, 
when Suvarof was driving the French before him, would 
complete the deliverance of Italy. He applied, there¬ 
fore, to Sir James St. Clair Erskine, who, in the absence 
of General Fox, commanded at Minorca, to assist in 
this great object with twelve hundred men. “ The 
field of glory,” said he, “ is a large one, and was never 
more open to any one than at this moment to you. 
Rome would throw open her gates, and receive you as 
her deliverer : and the Pope would owe his restoration 
to a heretic.” But Sir James Erskine looked only at 
the difficulties of the undertaking. “ Twelve hundred 
men, he thought, would be too small a force to be com¬ 
mitted in such an enterprise; for Civita Vecchia was a 
regular fortress. The local situation and climate, also, 
were such, that, even if this force were adequate, it 
would be proper to delay the expedition till October, 
General Fox, too, was soon expected; and during his 
absence, and under existing circumstances, he did not 
feel justified in sending away such a detachment.” 

What this general thought it imprudent to attempt. 
Nelson and Trowbridge effected without his assistance, 
by a small detachment from the fleet. Trowbridge first 
sent Captain Hallowell to Civita Vecchia, to offer the 
garrison there, and at Castle St. Angelo, the same terms 
which had been granted to Gaieta. Hallowed per¬ 
ceived, by the overstrained civility of the officers who 
came off to him, and the compliments which they paid 


240 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799. 


to the English nation, that they were sensible of their 
own weakness, and their inability to offer any effectual 
resistance; but the French know, that while they are 
in a condition to serve their government, they can rely 
upon it for every possible exertion in their support; 
and this reliance gives them hope and confidence to the 
last. Upon Hallowell’s report, Trowbridge, who had 
now been made Sir Thomas for his services, sent Cap¬ 
tain Louis, with a squadron, to enforce the terms which 
he had offered; and, as soon as he could leave Naples, 
he himself followed. The French, who had no longer 
any hope from the fate of arms, relied upon their skill 
in negotiation, and proposed terms to Trowbridge with 
that effrontery which characterises their public pro¬ 
ceedings ; but which is as often successful as it is impu¬ 
dent. They had a man of the right stamp to deal with. 
Their ambassador at Rome began by saying, that the 
Roman territory was the property of the French by 
right of conquest. The British commodore settled that 
point, by replying, “ It is mine by reconquest.” A 
capitulation was soon concluded for all the Roman 
states, and Captain Louis rowed up the Tiber in his 
barge, hoisted English colours on the capitol, and acted, 
for the time, as governor of Rome. The prophecy of 
the Irish poet was thus accomplished, and the friar 
reaped the fruits : for Nelson, who was struck with the 
oddity of the circumstance, and not a little pleased with 
it, obtained preferment for him from the King of Sicily, 
and recommended him to the Pope. 

Having thus completed his work upon the continent 
of Italy, Nelson’s whole attention was directed towards 
Malta, where Captain Ball, with most inadequate means. 


1799. 


SIEGE OF MALTA. 


241 


was besieging the French garrison. Never was any 
officer engaged in a more anxious and painful service: 
the smallest reinforcement from France would, at any 
moment, have turned the scale against him; and had it 
not been for his consummate ability, and the love and 
veneration with which the Maltese regarded him, Malta 
must have remained in the hands of the enemy. Men, 
money, food,—all things were wanting. The garrison 
consisted of five thousand troops, the besieging force of 
five hundred English and Portuguese marines, and about 
fifteen hundred armed peasants. Long and repeatedly 
did Nelson solicit troops to effect the reduction of this 
important place. “ It has been no fault of the navy,” 
said he, “ that Malta has not been attacked by land, 
but we have neither the means ourselves, nor influence 
with those who have.” The same causes of demurral 
existed which prevented British troops from assisting 
in the expulsion of the French from Rome. Sir James 
Erskine was expecting General Fox; he could not act 
without orders; and not having, like Nelson, that lively 
spring of hope within him, which partakes enough of 
the nature of faith to work miracles in war, he thought 
it “ evident, that unless a respectable land force, in 
numbers sufficient to undertake the siege of such ft 
garrison, in one of the strongest places of Europe, and 
supplied with proportionate artillery and stores, were 
sent against it, no reasonable hope could be entertained 
of its surrender.” Nelson groaned over the spirit of 
over-reasoning caution, and unreasoning obedience. 
“My heart,” said he, “ is almost broken. If the enemy 
gets supplies in, we may bid adieu to Malta; all the 
force we can collect would then be of little use against 


242 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1799, 


the strongest place in Europe. To say that an officer 
is never, for any object, to alter his orders, is what I 
cannot comprehend. The circumstances of this war so 
often vary, that an officer has almost every moment to 
consider. What would my superiors direct did they 
know what is passing under my nose ? But, sir,” said 
he, writing to the Duke of Clarence, ee I find few think 
as I do. To obey orders is all perfection. To serve 
my king, and to destroy the French, I consider as the 
great order of all, from which little ones spring; and if 
one of these militate against it (for who can tell exactly 
at a distance ?) I go back and obey the great order and 
object, to down—down with the damned French villains! 
My blood boils at the name of Frenchman !” 

At length General Fox arrived at Minorca, and, at 
length, permitted Colonel Graham to go to Malta, but 
with means miserably limited. In fact, the expedition 
was at a stand for want of money; when Trowbridge 
arriving at Messina, to co-operate in it, and finding this 
fresh delay, immediately offered all that he could com¬ 
mand of his own. “ I procured him, my lord,” said he 
to Nelson, “ fifteen thousand of my cobs: every farthing, 
and every atom of me shall be devoted to the cause.” 
“ What can this mean ? ” said Nelson, when he learnt 
that Colonel Graham was ordered not to incur any 
expense for stores, or any articles except provisions,— 
“ the cause cannot stand still for want of a little money. 
If nobody will pay it, I will sell Bronte, and the Emperor 
of Russia’s box.” And he actually pledged Bronte for 
6600 L, if there should be any difficulty about paying the 
bills. The long-delayed expedition was thus, at last, 
set forth ; but Trowbridge little imagined in what 


1800. 


STATE OF AFFAIES AT MALTA. 


243 


scenes of misery he was to bear his part. He looked to 
Sicily for supplies; it was the interest, as well as the 
duty, of the Sicilian government to use every exertion 
for furnishing them; and Nelson and the British am¬ 
bassador were on the spot to press upon them the ne¬ 
cessity of exertion. But though Nelson saw with what 
a knavish crew the Sicilian court was surrounded, he 
was blind to the vices of the court itself, and resigning 
himself wholly to Lady Hamilton’s influence, never 
even suspected the crooked policy which it was remorse¬ 
lessly pursuing. The Maltese, and the British in Malta, 
severely felt it. Trowbridge, who had the truest affec¬ 
tion for Nelson, knew his infatuation, and feared that it 
might prove injurious to his character, as well as fatal 
to an enterprise which had begun so well, and been 
carried on so patiently. “ My lord,” said he, writing to 
him from the siege, “ we are dying off fast for want. I 
learn that Sir William Hamilton says Prince Luzzi 
refused com some time ago, and Sir William does not 
think it worth while making another application. If 
that be the case, I wish he commanded this distressing 
scene instead of me. Puglia had an immense harvest: 
near thirty sail left Messina, before I did, to load corn. 
Will they let us have any ? If not, a short time will 
decide the business. The German interest prevails. 
I wish I was at your lordship’s elbow for an hour. 
All , all , will be thrown on you! I will parry the 
blow as much as is in my power. I foresee much 
mischief brewing. God bless your lordship! I am 
miserable; I cannot assist your operations more. Many 
happy returns of the day to you (it was the first of the 
new year); I never spent so miserable a one. I am 


244 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1800. 


not very tender-heated, but really the distress here 
would even move a Neapolitan. 5 ’ Soon afterwards he 
wrote, “I have this day saved thirty thousand people 
from starving, but with this day my ability ceases. As 
the government are bent on starving us, I see no alter¬ 
native but to leave these poor, unhappy people to 
perish without our being witnesses of their distress. I 
curse the day I ever served the Neapolitan government. 
We have characters, my lord, to lose—these people 
have none. Do not suffer their infamous conduct to 
fall on us. Our country is just, but severe. Such is 
the fever of my brain this minute, that I assure you, on 
my honour, if the Palermo traitors were here, I would 
shoot them first and then myself, Gfirgenti is full of 
corn; the money is ready to pay for it; we do not ask it 
as a gift. Oh ! could you see the horrid distress I daily 
experience, something would be done. Some engine is 
at work against us at Naples, and I believe I hit on the 
proper person. If you complain, he will be immediately 
promoted, agreeably to the Neapolitan custom. All I 
write to you is known at the queen’s. For my own 
part, I look upon the Neapolitans as the worst of 
intriguing enemies: every hour shows me their infamy 
and duplicity. I pray your lordship be cautious: 
your honest, open manner of acting will be made a 
handle of. When I see you, and tell of their infamous 
tricks, you will be as much surprised as I am. The 
whole will fall on you.” 

Nelson was not, and could not be, insensible to the 
distress which his friend so earnestly represented. He 
begged, almost on his knees, he said, small supplies of 
money and com, to keep the Maltese from starving. 


1800 . 


CAPT. BALL SEIZES CORN SHIPS AT MESSINA. 


245 


And when the court granted a small supply, protesting 
their poverty, he believed their protestations, and was 
satisfied with their professions, instead of insisting that 
the restrictions upon the exportation of corn should be 
withdrawn. The anxiety, however, which he endured 
affected him so deeply, that he said it had broken his 
spirit for ever. Happily all that Trowbridge, with so 
much reason, foreboded did not come to pass. For 
Captain Ball, with more decision than Nelson himself 
would have shown at that time and upon that occasion, 
ventured upon a resolute measure, for which his name 
would deserve always to be held in veneration by the 
Maltese, even if it had no other claims to the love 
and reverence of a grateful people. Finding it hopeless 
longer to look for succour or common humanity from 
the deceitful and infatuated court of Sicily, which per¬ 
sisted in prohibiting, by sanguinary edicts, the ex¬ 
portation of supplies, at his own risk he sent his first 
lieutenant to the port of Messina, with orders to seize, 
and bring with him to Malta, the ships which were 
there lying laden with corn,— of the number of which 
he had received accurate information. These orders 
were executed to the great delight and advantage of the 
shipowners and proprietors; the necessity of raising the 
siege was removed, and Captain Ball waited in calmness 
for the consequences to himself. “But,” said Mr. 
Coleridge, “ not a complaint, not a murmur, proceeded 
from the court of Naples : the sole result was, that the 
governor of Malta became an especial object of its 
hatred, its fear, and its respect.” 

Nelson himself, at the beginning of February, sailed 
for that island. On the way he fell in with a French 


246 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1800. 


squadron bound for its relief, and consisting of the 
Genereux , seventy-four, three frigates, and a corvette. 
One of these frigates and the line-of-battle ship were 
taken; the others escaped, but failed in their purpose 
of reaching La Valette. This success was peculiarly 
gratifying to Nelson, for many reasons. During some 
months he had acted as commander-in-chief in the 
Mediterranean, while Lord Keith was in England. 
Lord Keith was now returned, and Nelson had, upon his 
own plan and at his own risk, left him, to sail for Malta; 
“ for which,” said he, “ if I had not succeeded, I might 
have been broke; and if I had not acted thus, the 
Genereux never would have been taken.” This ship 
was one of those which had escaped from Aboukir. 
Two frigates and the Guillaume Tell , eighty-six, were 
all that now remained of the fleet which Bonaparte had 
conducted to Egypt. The Guillaume Tell was at this 
time closely watched in the harbour of La Valette; and 
shortly afterwards, attempting to make her escape from 
thence, was taken, after an action in which greater 
skill was never displayed by British ships, nor greater 
gallantry by an enemy. She was taken by the Fou- 
droyant, Lion, and Penelope frigate. Nelson, rejoicing 
at what he called this glorious finish to the whole 
French Mediterranean fleet, rejoiced also that he was 
not present to have taken a sprig of these brave men’s 
laurels. “ They are,” said he, “ and I glory in them, 
my children; they served in my school; and all of us 
caught our professional zeal and fire from the great and 
good Earl St. Vincent. What a pleasure, what happiness, 
to have the Nile fleet all taken under my orders and 
regulations!” The two frigates still remained in La 


1800. 


NELSON WISHES TO RETURN TO ENGLAND. 


247 


Valette: before its surrender they stole out; one was 
taken in the attempt, the other was the only ship of 
the whole fleet which escaped capture or destruction. 

Letters were found on board the Guillaume Tell 
showing that the French were now become hopeless of 
preserving the conquest which they had so foully 
acquired. Trowbridge and his brother officers were 
anxious that Nelson should have the honour of si<min2f 
the capitulation. They told him that they absolutely, 
as far as they dared, insisted on his staying to do this ; 
but their earnest and affectionate entreaties were vain. 
Sir William Hamilton had just been superseded; Nelson 
had no feeling of cordiality towards Lord Keith; and 
thinking that, after Earl St. Vincent, no man had so 
good a claim to the command in the Mediterranean as 
himself, he applied for permission to return to England; 
telling the First Lord of the Admiralty, that his spirit 
could not submit patiently, and that he was a broken¬ 
hearted man. From the time of his return from Egypt, 
amid all the honours which were showered upon him, he 
had suffered many mortifications. Sir Sydney Smith 
had been sent to Egypt, with orders to take under his 
command the squadron which Nelson had left there. 
Sir Sydney appears to have thought that this command 
was to be independent of Nelson: and Nelson himself 
thinking so, determined to return, saying to Earl St. 
Vincent, “I do feel-—for I am a man—that it is impos¬ 
sible for me to serve in these seas with a squadron under 
a junior officer.” Earl St. Vincent seems to have dis¬ 
suaded him from this resolution : some heart-burnings, 
however, still remained, and some incautious expressions 
of Sir Sydney’s were noticed by him in terms of evident 


248 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1800. 


displeasure. But this did not continue long, as no man 
bore more willing testimony than Nelson to the admi¬ 
rable defence of Acre. 

He differed from Sir Sydney as to the policy which 
ought to be pursued towards the French in Egypt; and 
strictly commanded him, in the strongest language, not, 
on any pretence, to permit a single Frenchman to leave 
the country, saying that he considered it nothing short 
of madness to permit that band of thieves to return to 
Europe. “No,” said he, “to Egypt they went with 
their own consent, and there they shall remain, while 
Nelson commands this squadron; for never, never will 
he consent to the return of one ship or Frenchman. I 
wish them to perish in Egypt, and give an awful lesson 
to the world of the justice of the Almighty.” If Nelson 
had not thoroughly understood the character of the 
enemy against whom he was engaged, their conduct in 
Egypt would have disclosed it. After the battle of the 
Nile, he had landed all his prisoners, upon a solemn 
engagement, made between Trowbridge on one side 
and Captain Barre on the other, that none of them 
should serve till regularly exchanged. They were no 
sooner on shore than part of them were drafted into 
the different regiments, and the remainder formed into 
a corps called the nautic legion. This occasioned Cap¬ 
tain Hallowell to say that the French had forfeited all 
claim to respect from us. “ The army of Bonaparte,” 
said he, “are entirely destitute of every principle of 
honour: they have always acted like licentious thieves.” 
Bonaparte’s escape was the more regretted by Nelson, 
because, if he had had sufficient force, he thought it 
would certainly have been prevented. He wished to 


1800. 


RETURN OF BONAPARTE. 


249 


keep ships upon the watch to intercept anything coming 
from Egypt; but the Admiralty calculated upon the 
assistance of the Russian fleet, which failed when it 
was most wanted. The ships which should have been 
thus employed were then required for more pressing 
services, and the bloody Corsican was thus enabled to 
reach Europe in safety, there to become the guilty 
instrument of a wider-spreading destruction than any 
with which the world had ever before been visited. 

Nelson had other causes of chagrin. Earl St. Vin¬ 
cent, for whom he felt such high respect, and whom Sir 
John Orde had challenged for having nominated Nelson 
instead of himself to the command of the Nile squadron, 
laid claim to prize-money, as commander-in-chief, after 
he had quitted the station. The point was contested, 
and decided against him. Nelson, perhaps, felt this the 
more, because his own feelings, with regard to money, 
were so different. An opinion had been given by Dr. 
Lawrence, which Would have excluded the junior flag 
officers from prize-money. When this was made known 
to him, his reply was in these words: “ Notwithstanding 
Dr. Lawrence’s opinion, I do not believe I have any 
right to exclude the junior flag officers: and if I have, 
I desire that no such claim may be made : no, not if it 
were sixty times the sum, and, poor as I am, I were 
never to see prize-money.” 

A ship could not be spared to convey him to Eng¬ 
land ; he, therefore, travelled through Grermany to 
Hamburg, in company with his inseparable friends, Sir 
William and Lady Hamilton. The Queen of Naples 
went with them to Vienna. While they were at Leghorn, 
upon a report that the French were approaching- (for, 


250 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1800. 


through the folly of weak courts, and the treachery of 
venal cabinets, they had now recovered their ascendancy 
in Italy), the people rose tumultuously, and would fain 
have persuaded Nelson to lead them against the enemy. 
Public honours, and yet more gratifying testimonials 
of public admiration, awaited Nelson wherever he went. 
The Prince of Esterhazy entertained him in a style of 
Hungarian magnificence—a hundred grenadiers, each 
six feet in height, constantly waiting at table. At 
Magdeburg, the master of the hotel where he was 
entertained contrived to show him for money; ad¬ 
mitting the curious to mount a ladder, and peep at him 
through a small window. A wine-merchant at Ham¬ 
burg, who was above seventy years of age, requested to 
speak with Lady Hamilton; and told her he had some 
Khenish wine, of the vintage of 1625, which had been 
in his own possession more than half a century: he had 
preserved it for some extraordinary occasion; and that 
which had now arrived was far beyond any that he 
could ever have expected. His request was, that her 
ladyship would prevail upon Lord Nelson to accept six 
dozen of this incomparable wine: part of it would then 
have the honour to flow into the heart’s blood of that 
immortal hero; and this thought would make him 
happy during the remainder of his life. Nelson, when 
this singular request was reported to him, went into the 
room, and taking the worthy old gentleman kindly by 
the hand, consented to receive six bottles, provided 
the donor would dine with him next day. Twelve 
were sent; and Nelson, saying that he hoped yet to win 
half a dozen more great victories, promised to lay by 
six bottles of his Hamburg friend’s wine for the purpose 




1800. 


NELSON AND THE OLD CLERGYMAN. 


251 


of driDking one after each. A German pastor, between 
seventy and eighty years of age, travelled forty miles, 
with the Bible of his parish church, to request that 
Nelson would write his name on the first leaf of it. 
He called him the saviour of the Christian world. The 
old man’s hope deceived him. There was no Nelson 
upon shore, or Europe would have been saved; but, 
in his foresight of the horrors with which all Germany 
and all Christendom were threatened bv France, the 
pastor could not possibly have apprehended more than 
has actually taken place. 












' 


























. 












































Enthusiastic Reception of Nelson in England*—Separates 
from Lady Nelson—Is sent to the Baltic under Sir Hyde Parker 
—The Expedition against Copenhagen—Plans of Attack—Diffi¬ 
culties in passing the Sound—The Fleet off Cronenburg Castle— 
Battle of Copenhagen—Sir Hyde makes the Signal to cease 
Action, which is disobeyed by Nelson—Success of the British— 
Nelson’s Letter to the Crown-Prince—Cessation of Hostilities— 
Extent of the Casualties — Negotiations for an Armistice — 
Nelson’s Interviews with the Crown-Prince—Disposal of the 
Prizes—The Danish Commodore’s Account of the Battle, and 
Nelson’s Reply—Is made a Viscount. 


























niVTLE OF COPENHAGEN. 


CHAPTER VII. 

Nelson was welcomed in England with every mark of 
popular honour. At Yarmouth, where he landed, 
every ship in the harbour hoisted her colours. The 
mayor and corporation waited upon him with the free¬ 
dom of the town, and accompanied him in procession 
to church, with all the naval officers on shore, and the 
principal inhabitants. Bonfires and illuminatious con¬ 
cluded the day; and, on the morrow, the volunteer 
cavalry drew up and saluted him as he departed, and 
followed the carriage to the borders of the county. 
At Ipswich, the people came out to meet him, drew him 
a mile into the town and three miles out. When he 
was in the Agamemnon , he wished to represent this 
place in parliament, and some of his friends had con- 







2 56 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1800. 


suited the leading men of the corporation; the result 
was not successful: and Nelson observing, that he 
would endeavour to find out a preferable path into 
parliament, said there might come a time when the 
people of Ipswich would think it an honour to have 
had him for their representative. In London, he was 
feasted by the city, drawn by the populace from Lud- 
gate Hill to Guildhall, and received the thanks of the 
common council for his great victory, and a golden- 
hilted sword studded with diamonds. Nelson had every 
earthly blessing, except domestic happiness: he had 
forfeited that for ever. Before he had been three 
months in England, he separated from Lady Nelson. 
Some of his last words to her were: “I call God to 
witness, there is nothing in you, or your conduct, 
that I wish otherwise.” This was the consequence of 
his infatuated attachment to Lady Hamilton. It had 
before caused a quarrel with his step-son, and occasioned 
remonstrances from his truest friends; which produced 
no other effect than that of making him displeased with 
them, and more dissatisfied with himself. 

The Addington administration was just at this time 
formed; and Nelson, who had solicited employment, and 
been made vice-admiral of the blue, was sent to the 
Baltic, as second in command, under Sir Hyde Parker, 
by Earl St. Vincent, the new First Lord of the Ad¬ 
miralty. The three northern courts had formed a 
confederacy for making England resign her naval rights. 
Of these courts Kussia was guided by the passions of 
its emperor, Paul, a man not without fits of generosity, 
and some natural goodness, but subject to the wildest 
humours of caprice, and crazed by the possession of 


1800. 


EXPEDITION AGAINST COPENHAGEN. 


257 


greater power than can ever be safely, or perhaps 
innocently, possessed by weak humanity. Denmark 
was b rench at heart; ready to co-operate in all the 
views of France, to recognise all her usurpations, and 
obey all her injunctions. Sweden, under a king whose 
principles were right, and whose feelings were generous, 
but who had a taint of hereditary insanity, acted in 
acquiescence with the dictates of two powers whom it 
feared to offend. The Danish navy, at this time, con¬ 
sisted of twenty-three ships of the line, with about 
thirty-one frigates and smaller vessels, exclusive of 
guard-ships. The Swedes had eighteen ships of the 
line, fourteen frigates and sloops, seventy-four galleys 
and smaller vessels, besides gun-boats; and this force 
was in a far better state of equipment than the Danish. 
The Russians had eighty-two sail of the line and forty 
frigates. Of these, there were forty-seven sail of the 
line at Cronstadt, Revel, Petersburg, and Archangel : 
but the Russian fleet was ill manned, ill officered, and 
ill equipped. Such a combination, under the influence 
of France, would soon have become formidable; and 
never did the British cabinet display more decision 
than in instantly preparing to crush it. They erred, 
however, in permitting any petty consideration to pre¬ 
vent them from appointing Nelson to the command. 
The public properly murmured at seeing it entrusted 
to another: and he himself said to Earl St Vincent, 
that, circumstanced as he was, this expedition would 
probably be the last service that he should ever per¬ 
form. The earl, in reply, besought him, for Grod’s sake, 
not to suffer himself to be carried away by any sudden 
impulse. 


s 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


2.5ft 


The season happened to be unusually favourable; so 
mild a winter had not been known in the Baltic for 
many years. When Nelson joined the fleet at Yar¬ 
mouth, he found the admiral “a little nervous about 
dark nights and fields of ice.”—“But we must brace 
up,” said he, “ these are not times for nervous systems.— 
I hope we shall give our northern enemies that hail¬ 
storm of bullets, which gives our dear country the do¬ 
minion of the sea. We have it, and all the devils in 
the north cannot take it from us, if our wooden walls 
have fair play.” Before the fleet left Yarmouth, it was 
sufficiently known that its destination was against Den¬ 
mark. Some Danes, who belonged to the Amazon 
frigate, went to Captain Riou, and telling him what 
they had heard, begged that he would get them ex¬ 
changed into a ship bound on some other destination. 
“ They had no wish,” they said, “ to quit the British 
service; but they entreated that they might not be 
forced to fight against their own country.” There was 
not in our whole navy a man who had a higher and 
more chivalrous sense of duty than Riou. Tears came 
into his eyes while the men were speaking: without 
making any reply, he instantly ordered his boat, and 
did not return to the Amazon until he could tell them 
that their wish was effected. 

The fleet sailed on the 12th of March. Mr. Van- 
sittart sailed in it; the British cabinet still hoping to 
obtain its end by negotiation. It was well for England 
that Sir Hyde Parker placed a fuller confidence in Nel¬ 
son than the Government seems to have done, at this 
most important crisis. Her enemies might well have been 
astonished at learning, that any other man should for a 


1801. 


HIS CONFERENCE WITH SIR HYDE. 


259 


moment have been thought of for the command., But 
so little deference was paid, even at this time, to his 
intuitive and all-commanding genius, that when the 
fleet had reached its first rendezvous, at the entrance of 
the Cattegat, he had received no official communication 
whatever of the intended operations. His own mind 
had been made up upon them with its accustomed 
decision. “All I have gathered of our first plans,” 
said he, “ I disapprove most exceedingly. Honour may 
arise from them; good cannot. I hear we are likely to 
anchor outside of Cronenburg Castle, instead of Copen¬ 
hagen, which would give weight to our negotiation. A 
Danish minister would think twice before he would put 
his name to war with England, when the next moment 
he would probably see his master’s fleet in flames, and 
his capital in ruins. The Dane should see our flag 
every moment he lifted up his head.” 

Mr. Vansittart left the fleet at the Scaw, and pre¬ 
ceded it in a frigate, with a flag of truce. Precious 
time was lost by this delay, which was to be purchased 
by the dearest blood of Britain and Denmark: accord¬ 
ing to the Danes themselves, the intelligence that a 
British fleet was seen off the Sound produced a much 
more general alarm in Copenhagen than its actual ar¬ 
rival in the roads; for their means of defence were, at 
that time, in such a state, that they could hardly hope 
to resist, still less to repel, an enemy. On the 21st, 
Nelson had a long conference with Sir Hyde; and the 
next day addressed a letter to him worthy of himself 
and of the occasion. Mr. Vansittart’s report had then 
been received. It represented the Danish government 
as in the highest degree hostile ; and their state of pre 


260 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


paration as exceeding what our cabinet had supposed 
possible ; for Denmark had profited, with all activity, of 
the leisure which had so impoliticly been given her. 
“ The more I have reflected,” said Nelson to his com¬ 
mander, “ the more I am confirmed in opinion, that 
not a moment should be lost in attacking the enemy. 
They will every day and every hour be stronger: we 
shall never be so good a match for them as at this 
moment. The only consideration is, how to get at 
them with the least risk to our ships. — Here you are, 
with almost the safety—certainly with the honour—of 
England, more entrusted to you than ever yet fell to 
the lot of any British officer. On your decision depends 
whether our country shall be degraded in the eyes 
of Europe, or whether she shall rear her head higher 
than ever. Again I do repeat, never did our country 
depend so much upon the success of any fleet as on 
this. How best to honour her, and abate the pride of 
her enemies, must be the subject of your deepest 
consideration.” 

Supposing him to force the passage of the Sound, 
Nelson thought some damage might be done among the 
masts and yards ; though, perhaps, not one of them but 
would be serviceable again. If the wind be fair,” 
said he, ce and you determine to attack the ships and 
Crown Islands, you must expect the natural issue of 
such a battle—ships crippled, and, perhaps, one or two 
lost; for the wind which carries you in will most pro¬ 
bably not bring out a crippled ship. This mode I call 
taking the bull by the horns. It, however, will not 
prevent the Revel ships, or the Swedes, from joining 
the Danes: and to prevent this is, in my humble 












1801. 


HIS PLANS FOE THE ATTACK. 


261 


opinion, a measure absolutely necessary; and still to 
attack Copenhagen.” For this he proposed two modes. 
One was, to pass Cronenburg, taking the risk of danger; 
take the deepest and straightest channel along the 
Middle Grounds; and then, coming down the Grarbar, 
or King’s Channel, attack the Danish line of floating 
batteries and ships, as might be found convenient. 
This would prevent a junction, and. might give an 
opportunity of bombarding Copenhagen. Or to take 
the passage of the Belt, which might be accomplished 
in four or five days; and then the attack by Draco 
might be made, and the junction of the Russians pre¬ 
vented. Supposing them through the Belt, he pro¬ 
posed that a detachment of the fleet should be sent to 
destroy the Russian squadron at Revel; and that the 
business at Copenhagen should be attempted with the re¬ 
mainder. “ The measure,” he said, “ might be thought 
bold; but the boldest measures are the safest.” 

The pilots, as men who had nothing but safety to 
think of, were terrified by the formidable report of the 
batteries of Elsineur, and the tremendous preparations 
which our negotiators, who were now returned from 
their fruitless mission, had witnessed. They, therefore, 
persuaded Sir Hyde to prefer the passage of the Belt. 
“ Let it be by the Sound, by the Belt, or any hew,” 
cried Nelson, “ only lose not an hour! ” On the 26th 
they sailed for the Belt: such was the habitual reserve 
of Sir Hyde that his own captain—the captain of the 
fleet—did not know which course he had resolved to take 
till the fleet were getting under weigh. When Captain 
Domett was thus apprised of it, he felt it his duty to 
represent to the admiral his belief that, if that course 


262 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


were persevered in, the ultimate object would be totally 
defeated : it was liable to long delays, and to accidents 
of ships grounding; in the whole fleet there were only 
one captain and one pilot who knew anything of this 
formidable passage (as it was then deemed), and their 
knowledge was very slight: their instructions did not 
authorise them to attempt it;—supposing them safe 
through the Belts, the heavy ships could not come over 
the Grounds to attack Copenhagen, and light vessels 
would have no effect on such a line of defence as had 
been prepared against them. Domett urged these 
reasons so forcibly that Sir Hyde’s opinion was shaken, 
and he consented to bring the fleet to, and send for 
Nelson on board. There can be little doubt but that 
the expedition would have failed, if Captain Domett had 
not thus timely and earnestly given his advice.—Nelson 
entirely agreed with him ; and it was finally determined 
to take the passage of the Sound — and the fleet returned 
to its former anchorage. 

The next day was more idly expended in despatch¬ 
ing a flag of truce to the governor of Cronenburg Castle, 
to ask whether he had received orders to fire at the 
British fleet; as the admiral must consider the first gun 
to be a declaration of war on the part of Denmark. A 
soldier-like and becoming answer was returned to this 
formality. The governor said, that the British minister 
had not been sent away from Copenhagen, but had 
obtained a passport at his own demand. He himself, as 
a soldier, could not meddle with politics: but he was 
not at liberty to suffer a fleet, of which the intention 
was not yet known, to approach the guns of the castle 
which he had the honour to command: and he re- 













1801. 


THE FLEET PROCEEDS TO THE ATTACK. 


U 63 


quested, if the British admiral should think proper to 
make any proposals to the King of Denmark, that he 
might he apprised of it before the fleet approached 
nearer. During this intercourse, a Dane, who came on 
board the commander’s ship, having occasion to express 
his business in writing, found the pen blunt; and, 
holding it up, sarcastically said, ee If your guns are not 
better pointed than your pens, you will make little 
impression on Copenhagen ! ” 

On that day intelligence reached the admiral of the 
loss of one of his fleet, the Invincible, seventy-four, 
wrecked on a sand-bank, as she was coming out of Yar¬ 
mouth : 400 of her men perished in her. Nelson, who 
was now appointed to lead the van, shifted his flag to 
the Elephant, Captain Foley—a lighter ship than the 
St George, and, therefore, fitter for the expected opera¬ 
tions. The two following days were calm. Orders had 
been given to pass the Sound as soon as the wind would 
permit; and, on the afternoon of the 29th, the ships 
were cleared for action with an alacrity characteristic of 
British seamen. At daybreak, on the 30th, it blew a 
topsail breeze from N.W. The signal was made, and 
the fleet moved on in order of battle; Nelson’s division 
in the van, Sir Hyde’s in the centre, and Admiral Grave’s 
in the rear. 

Great actions, whether military or naval, have 
generally given celebrity to the scenes from whence 
they are denominated; and thus petty villages, and 
capes, and bays, known only to the coasting trader, 
become associated with mighty deeds, and their names 
are made conspicuous in the history of the world. 
Here, however, the scene was every way worthy of the 


264 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


drama. The political importance of the Sound is such, 
that grand objects are not needed there to impress the 
imagination, yet is the channel full of grand and in¬ 
teresting objects, both of art and nature. This passage, 
which Denmark had so long considered as the key of 
the Baltic, is, in its narrowest part, about three miles 
wide, and here the city of Elsineur is situated—except 
Copenhagen, the most flourishing of the Danish towns. 
Every vessel which passes lowers her top-gallant sails 
and pays toll at Elsineur; a toll which is believed to 
have had its origin in the consent of the traders to that 
sea, Denmark taking upon itself the charge of con¬ 
structing lighthouses and erecting signals to mark the 
shoals and rocks from the Cattegat to the Baltic, and 
they, on their part, agreeing that all ships should pass 
this way, in order that all might pay their shares— 
none from that time using the passage of the Belt— 
because it was not fitting that they who enjoyed the 
benefit of the beacons in dark and stormy weather 
should evade contributing to them in fair seasons and 
summer nights. Of late years about ten thousand 
vessels had annually paid this contribution in time of 
peace. Adjoining Elsineur, and at the edge of the 
peninsular promontory, upon the nearest point of land 
to the Swedish coast, stands Cronenburg Castle, built 
after Tycho Brahe’s design, a magnificent pile—at 
once a palace, and fortress, and state-prison, with its 
spires and towers, and battlements and batteries. On 
the left of the strait is the old Swedish city of Helsin- 
burg, at the foot and on the side of a hill. To the 
north of Helsinburg the shores are steep and rocky; 
they lower to the south, and the distant spires of Land- 






1801. 


SCENE OF THE BATTLE. 


265 


scrona, Lund, and Malmoe, are seen in the flat country. 
The Danish shores consist partly of ridges of sand, but 
more frequently their slopes are covered with rich wood, 
and villages and villas, denoting the vicinity of a great 
capital. The isles of Huen, Satholm, and Amak, 
appear in the widening channel; and, at the distance of 
twenty miles from Elsineur, stands Copenhagen in full 
view—the best city of the north, and one of the finest 
capitals of Europe, visible, with its stately spires, far 
off. Amid these magnificent objects there are some 
which possess a peculiar interest from the recollections 
which they call forth. The isle of Huen, a lovely 
domain, about six miles in circumference, had been the 
munificent gift of Frederic the Second to Tycho Brahe. 
Here most of his discoveries were made, and here the 
ruins are to be seen of his observatory, and of the 
mansion where he was visited by princes, and where, 
with a princely spirit, he received and entertained all 
comers from all parts, and promoted science by hit; 
liberality as well as by his labours. Elsineur is a name 
familiar to English ears, being inseparably associated 
with Hamlet, and one of the noblest works of human 
genius. Cronenburg had been the scene of deeper 
tragedy. Here Queen Matilda was confined, the victim 
of a foul and murderous court intrigue. Here, amid 
heart-breaking griefs, she found consolation in nursing 
her infant. Here she took her everlasting leave of 
that infant, when, by the interference of England, her 
own deliverance was obtained, and, as the ship bore her 
away from a country where the venial indiscretions of 
youth and unsuspicious gaiety had been so cruelly pun¬ 
ished, upon these towers she fixed her eyes, and stood 


9C6 LIFE OF NELSON. 1801. 

upon the deck, obstinately gazing toward them till the 
last speck had disappeared. 

The Sound being the only frequented entrance to 
the Baltic, the great Mediterranean of the North, few 
parts of the sea display so frequent a navigation. In 
the height of the season not fewer than a hundred 
vessels pass every four-and-twenty hours, for many 
weeks in succession, but never had so busy or so 
splendid a scene been exhibited there as on this day, 
when the British fleet prepared to force that passage 
where, till now, all ships had vailed their top-sails to 
the flag of Denmark. The whole force consisted of 
fifty-one sail of various descriptions, of which sixteen 
were of the line. The greater part of the bomb and 
gun vessels took their stations off Cronenburg Castle, 
to cover the fleet, while others on the larboard were 
ready to engage the Swedish shore. The Danes, having 
improved every moment which ill-timed negotiation 
and baffling weather gave them, had lined their shore 
with batteries; and as soon as the Monarch , wdiich was 
the leading ship, came abreast of them, a fire was 
opened from about a hundred pieces of cannon and 
mortars ; our light vessels immediately, in return, 
opened their fire upon the castle. Here was all the 
pompous circumstance and exciting reality of war with¬ 
out its effects, for this ostentatious display was but a 
bloodless prelude to the wide and sweeping destruction 
which was soon to follow. The enemy’s shot fell near 
enough to splash the water on board our ships: not 
relying upon any forbearance of the Swedes, they 
meant to have kept the mid channel, but when they 
perceived that not a shot was fired from Helsinburg, 







1801 


THE FLEET PASSES CRONENBURG CASTLE 


267 


And that no batteries were to be seen on the Swedish 
shore, they inclined to that side, so as completely to 
get out of reach of the Danish guns. The uninterrupted 
blaze which was kept up from them till the fleet had 
passed served only to exhilarate our sailors and afford 
them matter for jest, as the shot fell in showers a full 



PASSING CRONENBURG CASTLE 


cable’s length short of its destined aim. A few rounds 
were returned from some of our leading ships till they 
perceived its inutility:—this, however, occasioned the 
only bloodshed of the day, some of our men being 
killed and wounded by the bursting of a gun. As 
soon as the main body had passed, the gun-vessels 
followed; desisting from their bombardment, which had 






























































268 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801* 


been as innocent as that of the enemy; and, about 
mid-day, the whole fleet anchored between the island 
of Huen and Copenhagen. Sir Hyde, with Nelson, 
Admiral Graves, some of the senior captains, and tho 
commanding officers of the artillery and the troops, 
then proceeded in a lugger to reconnoitre the enemy’s 
means of defence; a formidable line of ships, radeaus, 
pontoons, galleys, fire-ships, and gun-boats, flanked 
and supported by extensive batteries, and occupying, 
from one extreme point to the other, an extent of 
nearly four miles. 

A council of war was held in the afternoon. It 
was apparent that the Danes could not be attacked 
without great difficulty and risk;' and some of the 
members of the council spoke of the number of the 
Swedes and Russians whom they should afterwards 
have to engage, as a consideration which ought to 
be borne in mind. Nelson, who kept pacing the 
cabin, impatient as he ever was of anything which 
savoured of irresolution, repeatedly said, “The more 
numerous the better: I wish they were twice as many, 
—the easier the victory, depend on it.” The plan 
upon which he had determined, if ever it should be his 
fortune to bring a Baltic fleet to action, was to attack 
the head of their line and confuse their movements.— 
“Close with a Frenchman,” he used to say, “but out¬ 
manoeuvre a Russian.” He offered his services for the 
attack, requiring ten sail of the line, and the whole of 
the smaller craft. Sir Hyde gave him two more line- 
of-battle ships than he asked, and left everything to 
bis judgment. 

The enemy’s force was not the only, nor the greatest. 
















1801. 


POSITIONS OF THE BELLIGERENTS. 


269 


obstacle with which the British fleet had to contend: 
there was another to be overcome before they could 
come in contact with it. The channel was little known 
and extremely intricate; all the buoys had been re¬ 
moved; and the Danes considered this difficulty as 
almost insuperable, thinking the channel impracticable 
for so large a fleet. Nelson himself saw the soundings 
made, and the buoys laid down, boating it upon this 
exhausting service, day and night, till it was effected. 
When this was done, he thanked God for having 
enabled him to get through this difficult part of his 
duty. “It had worn him down,” he said, “and was 
infinitely more grievous to him than any resistance 
which he could experience from the enemy.” 

At the first council of war, opinions inclined to 
an attack from the eastward : but the next day, the 
wind being southerly, after a second examination of the 
Danish position, it was determined to attack from the 
south, approaching in the manner which Nelson had 
suggested in his first thoughts. On the morning of 
the 1st of April, the whole fleet removed to an an¬ 
chorage within two leagues of the town, and off the 
N.W. end of the Middle Ground; a shoal lying exactly 
before the town, at about three-quarters of a mile’s 
distance, and extending along its whole* sea-front. The 
King’s Channel, where there is deep water, is between 
this shoal and the town; and here the Danes had 
arranged their line of defence, as near the shore as 
possible; nineteen ships and floating batteries, flanked, 
at the end nearest the town, by the Crown Batteries, 
which were two artificial islands at the mouth of the 
harbour—most formidable works; the larger one having, 


270 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


by the Danish account, sixty-six guns; but, as Nelson 
believed, eighty-eight. The fleet having anchored. 
Nelson, with Eiou, in the Amazon , made his last 
examination of the ground; and, about one o’clock, 
returning to his own ship, threw out the signal to 
weigh. It was received with a shout throughout the 
whole division; they weighed with a light and favour¬ 
able wind: the narrow channel between the island of 
Saltholm and the Middle Ground had been accurately 
buoyed; the small craft pointed out the course dis¬ 
tinctly ; Riou led the way: the whole division coasted 
along the outer edge of the shoal, doubled its further 
extremity, and anchored there off Draco Point, just as 
the darkness closed—the headmost of the enemy’s line 
not being more than two miles distant. The signal to 
prepare for action had been made early in the evening; 
and, as his own anchor dropped, Nelson called out, “ I 
will fight them the moment I have a fair wind.” It 
had been agreed that Sir Hyde, with the remaining 
ships, should weigh on the following morning, at the 
same time as Nelson, to menace the Crown Batteries on 
his side, and the four ships of the line which lay at the 
entrance of the arsenal; and to cover our own disabled 
ships as they came out of action. 

The Danes, meantime, had not been idle : no sooner 
did the guns of Cronenburg make it known to the whole 
city that all negotiation was at an end, that the British 
fleet was passing the Sound, and that the dispute be¬ 
tween the two crowns must now be decided by arms, 
than a spirit displayed itself most honourable to the 
Danish character. All ranks offered themselves to the 
service of their country; the university furnished a 















1801. 


THE NIGHT PRECEDING THE BATTLE. 


271 


corps of twelve hundred youths, the flower of Denmark: 
—it was one of those emergencies in which little drilling 
or discipline is necessary to render courage available: 
they had nothing to learn hut how, to manage the guns, 
and were employed day and night in practising them. 
When the movements of Nelson’s squadron were per¬ 
ceived, it was known when and where the attack was to 
be expected, and the line of defence was manned in¬ 
discriminately by soldiers, sailors, and citizens. Had 
not the whole attention of the Danes been directed to 
strengthen their own means of defence, they might 
most materially have annoyed the invading squadron, 
and, perhaps, frustrated the impending attack; for the 
British ships were crowded in an anchoring ground of 
little extent:—it was calm, so that mortar-boats might 
have acted against them to the utmost advantage; and 
they were within range of shells from Amak Island. A 
few fell among them; but the enemy soon ceased to 
fire. It was learnt afterwards, that, fortunately for 
the fleet, the bed of the mortar had given way; and 
the Danes either could not get it replaced, or, in the 
darkness, lost the direction. 

This was an awful night for Copenhagen—far more 
so than for the British fleet, where the men were ac¬ 
customed to battle and victory, and had none of those 
objects before their eyes which render death terrible. 
Nelson sat down to table with a large party of his 
officers; he was, as he was ever wont to he when on 
the eve of action, in high spirits, and drank to a 
leading wind, and to the success of the morrow. After 
supper they returned to their respective ships, except 
Kiou, who remained to arrange the order of battle with 


272 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


Nelson and Foley, and to draw up instructions: Hardy, 
meantime, went in a small boat to examine the channel 
between them and the enemy, approaching so near, 
that he sounded round their leading ship with a pole, 
lest the noise of throwing the lead should discover him. 
The incessant fatigue of body, as well as mind, which 
Nelson had undergone during the last three days, had 
so exhausted him, that he was earnestly urged to go to 
his cot; and his old servant, Allen, using that kind of 
authority which long and affectionate services entitled 
and enabled him to assume on such occasions, insisted 
upon his complying. The cot was placed on the floor, 
and he continued to dictate from it. About eleven 
Hardy returned, and reported the practicability of the 
channel, and the depth of water up to the enemy’s line. 
About one, the orders were completed; and half-a- 
dozen clerks, in the foremost cabin, proceeded to tran¬ 
scribe them: Nelson frequently calling out to them 
from his cot to hasten their work, for the wind was 
becoming fair. Instead of attempting to get a few 
hours of sleep, he was constantly receiving reports on 
this important point. At daybreak it was announced 
as becoming perfectly fair. The clerks finished their 
work about six. Nelson, who was already up, break¬ 
fasted, and made signal for all captains. The land 
forces, and five hundred seamen, under Captain Free- 
mantle and the Honourable Colonel Stewart, were to 
storm the Crown Battery as soon as its fire should be 
silenced: and Riou—whom Nelson had never seen till 
this expedition, but whose worth he had instantly 
perceived, and appreciated as it deserved — had the 
Blanche and Alcmene frigates, the Dart and Arrow 
















1801. 


HIS OPINION OF PILOTS. 


273 


sloops, and Zephyr and Otter fire-ships, given him, 
with a special command to act as circumstances might 
require: — every other ship had its station appointed. 

Between eight and nine, the pilots and masters 
were ordered on board the admiral’s ship. The pilots 
were mostly men who had been mates in Baltic traders; 
and their hesitation about the bearing of the east end 
of the shoal, and the exact line of deep water, gave 
ominous warning of how little their knowledge was to 
be trusted.. The signal for action had been made, the 
wind was fair—not a moment to be lost. Nelson 
urged them to be steady,—to be resolute, and to decide: 
but they wanted the only ground for steadiness and 
decision in such cases; and Nelson had reason to regret 
that he had not trusted to Hardy’s single report. This 
was one of the most painful moments of his life; and 
he always spoke of it with bitterness. “ I experienced 
in the Sound,” said he, “the misery of having the 
honour of our country entrusted to a set of pilots, who 
have no other thought than to keep ‘the shi^s clear of 
danger, and their own silly heads clear of shot. Every¬ 
body knows what I must have suffered: and if any 
merit attaches itself to me, it was for combating the 
dangers of the shallows in defiance of them.” At length 
Mr. Bryerly, the master of the Bellona , declared that he 
was prepared to lead the fleet: his judgment was acceded 
to by the rest: they returned to their ships; and, at half¬ 
past nine, the signal was made to weigh in succession. 

Captain Murray, in the Edgar , led the way; the 
Agamemnon was next in order; but, on the first 
attempt to leave her anchorage, she could not weather 
the edge of the shoal; and Nelson had the grief to see 


274 


LIFE OF NELSON 


1801 


his old ship, in which he had performed so many years’ 
gallant services, immoveably aground, at a moment 
when her help was so greatly required. Signal was 
then made for the Polyphemus : and this change in the 
order ot sailing was executed with the utmost prompti¬ 
tude : yet so much delay had thus been unavoidably 



THE ENGLISH FLEET BEFORE COPENHAGEN. 


occasioned, that the Edgar was for some time un¬ 
supported: and the Polyphemus , whose place should 
have, been at the eud of the enemy’s line, where their 
strength was the greatest, could get no farther than 
the beginning, owiog to the difficulty of the channel: 
there she occupied, indeed, an efficient station, but one 
where her presence was less required. The Isis fol- 




















































1801. 


BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN. 


276 


lowed, with better fortune, and took her own berth. 
The Bellona, Sir Thomas Boulden Thompson, kept too 
close on the starboard shoal, and grounded abreast of 
the outer ship of the enemy: this was the more vexa¬ 
tious, inasmuch as the wind was fair, the room ample, 
and three ships had led the way. The Russell , fol¬ 
lowing the Bellona, grounded in like manner: both 
were within reach of shot; hut their absence from their 
intended stations was severely felt. Each ship had 
been ordered to pass her leader on the starboard side, 
because the water was supposed to shoal on the larboard 
shore. Nelson, who came next after these two ships, 
thought they had kept too far on the starboard direction, 
and made signal for them to close with the enemy, not 
knowing that they were aground: but, when he per¬ 
ceived that they did not obey the signal, he ordered 
the Elephant’s helm to starboard, and went within 
these ships: thus quitting the appointed order of 
•sailing, and guiding those which were to follow. The 
greater part of the fleet were probably, by this act of 
promptitude on his part, saved from going on shore. 
Each ship, as she arrived nearly opposite to her ap¬ 
pointed station, let her anchor go by the stern, and 
presented her broadside to the Danes. The distance 
between each was about a half-cable. The action was 
fought nearly at the distance of a cable’s length from 
the enemy. This, which rendered its continuance so 
long, was owing to the ignorance and consequent in¬ 
decision of the pilots. In pursuance of the same error 
which had led the Bellona and the Russell aground, 
they, when the lead was at a quarter less five, refused to 
approach nearer, in dread of sho.aling their water on the 


276 


LIFE OF NELSON, 


1801 


larboard shore : a fear altogether erroneous, for the water 
deepened up to the very side of the enemy’s line. 5 * 

* The following list ancl annexed plan will convey a clear idea of 
the force and position of the British squadron and the Danish line 
of defence:— 

DANISH FORCE. 


Ships. 

A. Provesteen. 

B. Vagrien . 

C. Rendsborg. 

D. Nyeborg . 

E. Jytland . 

F. Suerfisken . 

G. Kronborg . 

H. Indfoedsretten ... 

I. Hajen . 

K. Elven . 

L. Grenier’s Radeau 

M. Dannebrog. 

N. Aggershuis. 

O. Charlotte Amalia 

P. Holstein . 

Q Syoelland . 

R. Hielperen . 


Guns. 

64 

60 

34 

20 

50 

20 

26 

64 

28 

24 

62 

20 

26 

60 

64 

20 


Commanders. 
Capt. Lassen. 
Aid-de-Camp Risbrigh. 
Capt. Lieut. Egede. 

,, „ Rothe. 

,, Brandt. 

Lieut. Somerfeldt. 
Hauch. 

Thura. 

Moller. 

Holstein. 
Willemoes. 
Fischer. 

\ Capt. F. Braun. 

Lieut. Fasting. 

Capt. Kofod. 

,, Ahrenfeldt. 

,, Harboe. 


Capt. 


f Com 


Remarks. 

Taken and burnt. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Sunk. 

Taken and burnt. 

Ditto, 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Ditto. 

Escaped. 

Sunk. 

| Caught fire and blew up. 
Sunk. 

Taken and burnt. 

Taken and brought away 
Taken and burnt. 
Escaped. 


a b c, 


,, Lieut. Lilienskiold. 

SS. Crown Batteries, mounting 160 pieces of cannon. 

T. A frigate ready for sea. UU. Two ships of the line ready for sea. 

V\V. Two ships of the line. XX. Two gun brigs. 

&c. Armed schooners and vessels, the whole supported by the batteries, &c. 


BRITISH FORCE. 


Ships. 


1. Polyphemus . 

• • • 

64 

2. Isis ... .. 

• •• 

50 

3. Edgar . 

• • • 

74 

4. Ardent ... . 


5S 

5. Glatton . 

... 

58 

6. Elephant . 

... 

74 

7. Ganges ... .. 

... 

74 

8. Monarch . 

... 

74 

9. Defiance . 

... 

74 

10. Amazon frigate ... ... ... ... 

... 

38 

11. Blanche frigate . 

... 

36 

12. Alcmene frigate .. 

... 

32 

13. Arrow sloop . 

... 

30 

14. Dart sloop. 

... 

30 

15. Zephyr sloop . 

... 

14 

16. Otter sloop . 

... 

14 

17. Agamemnon (at anchor on the edge 

J- 64 

and outside of the shoal) ... 


18. Russell (aground) . 

... 

74 

19. Bellona (aground) . 

20. Bomb-vessels, <fec. 

... 

74 

21. La Desiree frigate (raking 

the 

•40 

Provesteen) . 

— The Old Sailor. 

... 


Guns. Commanders. 

Captain J. Lawford. 

„ J. Walker. 

„ G. Murray. 

,, T. Bertie. 

„ W. Bligh. 

( Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson. 

1 Captain T. Foley. 

,, T. F. Freemantle. 

,, J. R. Mosse. 

f Rear-Admiral Sir T. Graves, 
j. Captain R. Retalick. 

,, E. Riou. 

,, G. E. Hamond. 

,, S. Sutton. 

,, W. Bolton 

„ J. F. Devonshire. 

,, C. Upton. 

,, G. M'Kinley. 

„ R. D. Fancourt. 

,, W. Cumming. 

,, T. B. Thompson. 

„ H. Inman. 
















































































t801. 


BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN. 


277 


At five minutes after ten the action began. The 
first half of our fleet was eugaged in about half an hour; 
and, by half-past eleven, the battle became general. 
The plan of the attack had been complete : but seldom 
has any plan been more disconcerted by untoward 
accidents. Of twelve ships of the line, one was entirely 
useless, and two others in a situation where they could 
not render half the service which was required of them. 
Of the squadron of gun-brigs only one could get into 
action: the rest were prevented, by baffling currents, 
from weathering the eastern end of the shoal; and only 
two of the bomb-vessels could reach their station on the 
Middle Ground, and open their mortars on the arsenal, 
firing over both fleets. Eiou took the vacant station 
against the Crown Battery, with his frigates; attempt¬ 
ing, with that unequal force, a service in which three 
sail of the line had been directed to assist. 

Nelson’s agitation had been extreme when he saw 
himself, before the action began, deprived of a fourth 
part of his ships of the line; but no sooner was he in 
battle, where his squadron was received with the fire of 
more than a thousand guns, than, as if that artillery, 
like music, had driven away all care and painful 
thoughts, his countenance brightened; and as a by¬ 
stander describes him, his conversation became joyous, 
animated, elevated, and delightful. The commander 
in-chief, meantime, near enough to the scene of action 
to know the unfavourable accidents which had so ma¬ 
terially weakened Nelson, and yet too distant to know 
the real state of the contending parties, suffered the most 
dreadful anxiety. To get to his assistance was impos¬ 
sible; both wind and current were against him. Fear 


278 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


for the event, in such circumstances, would naturally 
preponderate in the bravest mind; and, at one o’clock, 
perceiving that, after three hours’ endurance, the 
enemy’s fire was unslackened, he began to despair of 
success. “ I will make the signal of recall,” said he to 
his captain, “ for Nelson’s sake. If he is in a condition 
to continue the action successfully, he will disregard it: 
if he is not, it will be an excuse for his retreat, and no 
blame can be imputed to him.” Captain Domett urged 
him at least to delay the signal, till he could commu¬ 
nicate with Nelson; but, in Sir Hyde’s opinion, the 
danger was too pressing for delay:— cc The fire,” he 
said, “ was too hot for Nelson to oppose; a retreat he 
thought must be made,—he was aware of the conse¬ 
quences to his own personal reputation, but it would be 
cowardly in him to leave Nelson to bear the whole shame 
Of the failure, if shame it should be deemed.” Under a 
mistaken judgment,* therefore, but with this disin¬ 
terested and generous feeling, he made the signal for 
retreat. 

Nelson was at this time, in all the excitement of 
action, pacing the quarter-deck. A shot through the 
mainmast knocked the splinters about; and he observed 
to one of his officers with a smile, “ It is warm work; 
and this day may be the last to any of us at a mo¬ 
ment : ”— and then stopping short at the gangway, 
added with emotion—“ But, mark you! I would not be 
elsewhere for thousands.” About this time the signal- 
lieutenant called out, that No. 39 (the signal for dis- 

* I have great pleasure in rendering this justice to Sir Hyde 
.Parker’s reasoning. This fact is here stated upon the highest and 
most unquestionable authority. 







1801. 


DISOBEYS THE SIGNAL TO CEASE ACTION. 


279 


continuing the action) was thrown out by the com¬ 
mander-in-chief. He continued to walk the deck, and 
appeared to take no notice of it. The signal-officer met 
him at the next turn, and asked him if he should repeat 
it. “No,” he replied, “acknowledge it.” Presently 
he called after him to know if the signal for close action 
was still hoisted; and being answered in the affirma¬ 
tive, said, “ Mind you keep it so.” He now paced the 
deck, moving the stump of his lost arm in a manner 
which always indicated great emotion. “ Do you know,’ 
said he to Mr. Ferguson, “ what is shown on board the 
commander-in-chief? No. 39!” Mr. Ferguson asked 
what that meant.—“ Why, to leave off action ! ” Then, 
shrugging up his shoulders, he repeated the words — 
“ Leave off action ? Now, damn me if I do ! You 
know, Foley,” turning to the captain, “ I have only one 
eye,— I have a right to be blind sometimes:”—and 
then, putting the glass to his blind eye, in that mood of 
mind which sports with bitterness, he exclaimed, “ I 
really do not see the signal! ” Presently he exclaimed, 
“ Damn the signal! Keep mine for closer battle flying! 
That’s the way I answer such signals ! Nail mine to 
the mast! ” Admiral Graves, who was so situated that 
he could not discern what was done on board the Ele¬ 
phant, disobeyed Sir Hyde’s signal in like manner : 
whether by a fortunate mistake, or by a like brave in¬ 
tention, has not been made known. The other ships of 
the line, looking only to Nelson, continued the action. 
The signal, however, saved Kiou’s little squadron, but 
did not save its heroic leader. TJiis squadron, which 
was nearest the commander-in-chief, obeyed, and hauled 
off. It had suffered severely in its most unequal con- 


280 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


test. For a long time tlie Amazon had been firing, 
enveloped in smoke, when Kiou desired his men to stand 
fast, and let the smoke clear off, that they might see 
what they were about. A fatal order; for the Danes 
then got clear sight of her from the batteries, and 
pointed their guns with such tremendous effect, that 
nothing but the signal for retreat saved this frigate from 
destruction. “What will Nelson think of us?” was 
Eiou’s mournful exclamation, when he unwillingly drew 
off. He had been wounded in the head by a splinter, 
and was sitting on a gun, encouraging his men, when, 
just as the Amazon showed her stern to the Trekroner 
Battery, his clerk was killed by his side; and another 
shot swept away several marines, who were hauling in 
the mainbrace. “ Come, then, my boys ! ” cried Eiou, 
“ let us die all together ! ” The words had scarcely been 
uttered before a raking shot cut him in two. Except 
it had been Nelson himself, the British navy could not 
have suffered a severer loss. 

The action continued along the line with unabated 
vigour on our side, and with the most determined reso¬ 
lution on the part of the Danes. They fought to great 
advantage, because most of the vessels in their line of 
defence were without masts : the few which had any 
standing had their top-masts struck, and the hulls could 
only be seen at intervals. The Isis must have been 
destroyed by the superior weight of her enemy’s fire, if 
Captain Inman, in the Desiree frigate, had not judi¬ 
ciously taken a situation which enabled him to rake the 
Dane, and if the Polyphemus had not also relieved her. 
Both in the Bellona and the Isis manv men were lost 
by the bursting of their guns. The former ship was 













*.801. 


GALLANT DEFENCE OF THE DANES. 


281 


about forty years old, and these guns were believed to 
be the same which she had first taken to sea : they were, 
probably, originally faulty, for the fragments were full 
of little air-holes. The Bellona lost seventy-five men ; 
the Isis , one hundred and ten ; the Monarch , two hun¬ 
dred and ten. She was, more than any other line-of- 
battle ship, exposed to the great battery; and support¬ 
ing, at the same time, the united fire of the Holstein 
and the Zealand , her loss this day exceeded that of any 
single ship during the whole war. Amid the tremendous 
carnage in this vessel, some of the men displayed a 
singular instance of coolness: the pork and peas hap¬ 
pened to be in the kettle; a shot knocked its contents 
about; they picked up the pieces, and ate and fought 
at the same time. 

The prince-royal had taken his station upon one of 
the batteries, from whence he beheld the action, and 
issued his orders. Denmark had never been engaged in 
so arduous a contest, and nevei did the Danes more 
nobly display their national courage:—a courage not 
more unhappily, than impoliticly, exerted in subser¬ 
viency to the interests of France. Captain Thura, of 
the Indfoedsretten , fell early in the action ; and all his 
officers, except one lieutenant and one marine officer, 
were either killed or wounded. In the confusion, the 
colours were either struck or shot away; but she was 
moored athwart one of the batteries in such a situation 
that the British made no attempt to board her; and a 
boat was despatched to the prince, to inform him of her 
situation. He turned to those about him, and said, 
“ Gentlemen, Thura is killed; which of you will take 
the command?” Schroedersee, a captain who had 


232 


LIFE OF KELSON. 


1801 . 


lately resigned, on account of extreme ill health, an¬ 
swered, in a feeble voice, “ I will! ” and hastened on 
board. The crew, perceiving a new commander coming 
alongside, hoisted their colours again, and fired a broad¬ 
side. Schroedersee, when he came on deck, found 
himself surrounded by the dead and wounded, and 
called to those in the boat to get quickly on board : a 
ball struck him at that moment. A lieutenant, who 
had accompanied him, then took the command, and 
continued to fight the ship. A youth of seventeen, by 
name Villemoes, particularly distinguished himself on 
this memorable day. He had volunteered to take the 
command of a floating battery; which was a raft, con¬ 
sisting merely of a number of beams nailed together, 
with a flooring to support the guns: it was square, with 
a breastwork full of port-holes, and without masts— 
carrying twenty-four guns, and one hundred and twenty 
men. With this he got under the stern of the Elephant, 
below the reach of the stern-chasers ; and under a heavy 
fire of small arms from the marines, fought his raft, till 
the truce was announced, with such skill, as well as 
courage, as to excite Nelson’s warmest admiration. 

Between one and two the fire of the Danes slack¬ 
ened ; about two it ceased from the greater part of their 
line, and some of their lighter ships were adrift. It 
was, however, difficult to take possession of those which 
struck, because the batteries on Amak Island protected 
them; and because an irregular fire was kept up from 
the ships themselves as the boats approached. This 
arose from the nature of the action ; the crews were 
continually reinforced from the shore; and fresh men 
coming on board, did not inquire whether the flag had 










1801. 


BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN. 


283 


been struck, or, perhaps,, did not heed it;—many, or 
most of them, never having been engaged in war before 
—knowing nothing, therefore, of its laws, and thinking 
only of defending their country to the last extremity. 
The Dannebrog fired upon the Elephant's boats in this 
manner, though her commodore had removed her pen¬ 
dant and deserted her, though she had struck, and 
though she was in flames. After she had been aban¬ 
doned by the commodore, Braun fought her til] he lost 
his right hand, and then Captain Lemming took the 
command. This unexpected renewal of her fire made 
the Elephant and Glatton renew theirs, till she was 
not only silenced, hut nearly every man in the praams 
ahead and astern of her was killed. When the smoke 
of their guns died away, she was seen drifting in flames 
before the wind, those of her crew who remained alive, 
and able to exert themselves, throwing themselves out 
at her port-holes. 

Captain Bothe commanded the Nyeborg praam ; 
and, perceiving that she could not much longer be kept 
afloat, made for the inner road. As he passed the line, 
he found the Aggershuis praam in a more miserable 
condition than his own ; her masts had all gone by the 
board, and she was on the point of sinking. Rothe 
made fast a cable to her stern, and towed her off: but 
he could get her no farther than a shoal, called Stubben, 
when she sunk; and soon after he had worked the Nye¬ 
borg up to the landing place, that vessel also sunk to 
her gunwale. Never did any vessel come out of action 
in a more dreadful plight. The stump of her foremast 
was the only stick standing; her cabin had been stove 
in; every gun, except a single one, was dismounted; 


284 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


and her deck was covered with shattered limbs and 
dead bodies. 

By half-past two the action had ceased along that 
part of the line which was astern of the Elephant , but 
not with the ships ahead and the Crown Batteries. 
Nelson, seeing the manner in which his boats were fired 
upon, when they went to take possession of the prizes, 
became angry, and said, he must either send on shore 
to have this irregular proceeding stopped, or send a 
fire-ship and burn them. Half the shot from the Tre- 
kroner, and from the batteries at Amak, at this time 
struck the surrendered ships, four of which had got 
close together; and the fire of the English, in return, 
was equally, or even more, destructive to these poor 
devoted Danes. Nelson, who was as humane as he was 
brave, was shocked at this massacre—for such he called 
it—and, with a presence of mind peculiar to himself, 
and never more signally displayed than now, he retired 
into the stern gallery, and wrote thus to the crown- 
prince : “ Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson has been com¬ 
manded to spare Denmark, when she no longer resists. 
The line of defence which covered her shores has struck 
to the British flag; but if the firing is continued on the 
part of Denmark, he must set on fire all the prizes that 
he has taken, without having the power of saving the 
men who have so nobly defended them. The brave 
Danes are the brothers, and should never be the ene¬ 
mies, of the English.” A wafer was given him, but he 
ordered a candle to be brought from the cockpit, and 
sealed the letter with wax, affixing a larger seal than he 
ordinarily used. “This,” said he, “is no time to 
appear hurried and informal.” Captain Sir Frederick 









1801 


BATTLE OF COPENHAGEN 


285 



NELSON SEALING HIS LETTER TO THE CROWN-PRINCE. 


Thesiger, who acted as his aid-de-camp, carried this 
letter with a flag of truce. Meantime the fire of the 
ships ahead, and the approach of the Ramillies and 
Defence , from Sir Hyde’s division, which had now 
worked near enough to alarm the enemy, though not to 
injure them, silenced the remainder of the Danish line 
to the eastward of the Trekroner. That battery, how¬ 
ever, continued its fire. This formidable work, owing 
to the want of the ships which had been destined to 
attack it, and the inadequate force of Eiou’s little 




































286 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


squadron, was comparatively uninjured; towards tlie 
close of the action it had been manned with nearly 
fifteen hundred men, and the intention of storming it, 
for which every preparation had been made, was aban¬ 
doned as impracticable. 

During Thesiger’s absence, Nelson sent for Free¬ 
man tie, from the Ganges , and consulted with him and 
Foley, whether it was advisable to advance, with those 
ships which had sustained least damage, against the yet 
uninjured part of the Danish line. They were de¬ 
cidedly of opinion, that the best thing which could be 
done was, while the wind continued fair, to remove the 
fleet out of the intricate channel, from which it had to 
retreat. In somewhat more than half an hour after 
Thesiger had been despatched, the Danish adjutant- 
general, Lindholm, came bearing a flag of truce : upon 
which the Trekroner ceased to fire, and the action 
closed, after four hours’ continuance. He brought an 
inquiry from the prince, What was the object of Nel¬ 
son’s note? The British admiral wrote in reply : 
“Lord Nelson’s object in sending a flag of truce was 
humanity; he therefore consents that hostilities shall 
cease, and that the wounded Danes may be taken on 
shore. And Lord Nelson will take his prisoners out of 
the vessels, and burn or carry off his prizes as he shall 
think fit. Lord Nelson, with humble duty to his royal 
highness the prince, will consider this the greatest 
victory he has ever gained, if it may be the cause of a 
happy reconciliation and union between his own most 
gracious sovereign and his majesty the King of Den¬ 
mark.”— Sir Frederick Thesiger was despatched a se¬ 
cond time with the reply; and the Danish adjutant 












1801. 


THE BRITISH SHIFS RETIRE. 


287 


general was referred to the commander-in-chief for a 
conference upon this overture. Lindholm assenting to 
this, proceeded to the London , which was riding at 
anchor full four miles off; and Nelson, losing not one 
of the critical moments which he had thus gained, made 
signal for his leading ships to weigh in succession: — 
they had the shoal to clear, they were much crippled, 
and their course was immediately under the guns of 
the Trekroner. 

The Monarch led the way. This ship had received 
six-and-twenty shot between wind and water. She had 
not a shroud standing; there was a double-headed shot 
in the heart of her foremast, and the slightest wind 
would have sent every mast over her side.* The immi¬ 
nent danger from which Nelson had extricated himself 
soon became apparent; the Monarch touched imme¬ 
diately upon a shoal, over which she was pushed by the 
Ganges taking her amid-ships ; the Glatton went clear; 
but the other two, the Defiance and the Elephant , 
grounded about a mile from the Trekroner, and there 
remained fixed, for many hours, in spite of all the ex¬ 
ertions of their wearied crews. The Desiree frigate 
also, at the other end of the line, having gone toward 
the close of the action to assist the Bellona , became 
fast on the same shoal. Nelson left the Elephant, soon 

* It would have been well if the fleet, before they went under the 
batteries, had left their spare spars moored out of reach of shot. 
Many would have been saved which were destroyed lying on the 
booms, and the hurt done by their splinters would have been saved 
also. Small craft could have towed them up when they were required: 
and, after such an action, so many must necessarily be wanted, that, il 
those which were not in use were wounded, it might thus have been 
rendered impossible to refit the ships. 


288 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1C0L 


after slie took the ground, to follow Lindholm. The 
heat of action was over; and that kind of feeling, which 
the surrounding scene of havoc was so well fitted to 
produce, pressed heavily upon his exhausted spirits : 
the sky had suddenly become overcast; white flags 
were waving from the mast-heads of so many shattered 
ships. The slaughter had ceased, but the grief was to 
come, for the account of the dead was not yet made up, 
and no man could tell for what friends he would have to 
mourn. The very silence which follows the cessation of 
such a battle becomes a weight upon the heart at first, 
rather than a relief; and though the work of mutual 
destruction was at an end, the Dannebrog was, at thif> 
time, drifting about in flames ; presently she blew up, 
while our boats, which had put off in all directions to 
assist her, were endeavouring to pick up her devoted 
crew, few of whom could be saved. The fate of these 
men, after the gallantry which they had displayed, 
particularly affected Nelson ; for there was nothing in 
this action of that indignation against the enemy, and 
that impression of retributive justice, which at the Nile 
. had given a sterner temper to his mind, and a sense of 
austere delight, in beholding the vengeance of which he 
was the appointed minister. The Danes were an 
honourable foe ; they were of English mould as well as 
English blood ; and now that the battle had ceased, he 
regarded them rather as brethren than as enemies. 
There was another reflection also, which mingled with 
these melancholy thoughts, and predisposed him to re¬ 
ceive them. He was not here master of his own move¬ 
ments, as at Egypt; he had won the day by disobeying 
his orders; and in so far as he had been successful, had 



.801. 


REMOVAL OF THE TRIZES. 


289 


convicted the commander-in-chief of an error in judg¬ 
ment. “ Well/’ said he, as he left the Elephant, (e I 
have fought contrary to orders, and I shall perhaps be 
hanged ! Never mind, let them !” 

This was the language of a man who, while he is 
giving utterance to an uneasy thought, clothes it half in 
jest, because he half repents that it has been disclosed. 
His services had been too eminent on that day, his 
judgment too conspicuous, his success too signal, for 
any commander, however jealous of his own authority, 
or envious of another’s merits, to express anything but 
satisfaction and gratitude, which Sir Hyde heartily felt 
and sincerely expressed. It was speedily agreed that 
there should be a suspension of hostilities for four-and- 
twenty hours ; that all the prizes should be surrendered, 
and the wounded Danes carried on shore. There was a 
pressing necessity for this ; for the Danes, either from 
too much confidence in the strength of their positions, 
and the difficulty of the channel; or, supposing that 
the wounded might be carried on shore during the 
action, which was found totally impracticable; or, per¬ 
haps, from the confusion which the attack excited, had 
provided no surgeons; so that, when our men boarded 
the captured ships, they found many of the mangled 
and mutilated Danes bleeding to death for want of 
proper assistance; a scene, of all others, the most shock¬ 
ing to a brave man’s feelings. 

The boats of Sir Hyde’s division were actively em¬ 
ployed all night in bringing out the prizes, and in 
getting afloat the ships which were on shore. At day¬ 
break, Nelson, who had slept in his own ship, the St. 
George, rowed to the Elephant, and his delight at 

u 


290 LIFE OF NELSON. 1801. 

finding her afloat seemed to give him new life. There 
he took a hasty breakfast, praising the men for their 
exertions, and then pushed off to the prizes which had 
not yet been removed. The Zealand, 74, the last 
which struck, had drifted on the shoal under the 
Trekroner; and relying, as it seems, upon the pro¬ 
tection which that battery might have afforded, refused 
to acknowledge herself captured, saying that, though it 
was true her flag was not to be seen, her pendant was 
sciil flying. Nelson ordered one of our brigs and three 
long-boats to approach her, and rowed up himself to 
one of the enemy’s ships, to communicate with the 
commodore. This officer proved to be an old acquaint¬ 
ance, wnom he had known in the West Indies; so he 
invited himself on board; and with that urbanity, as 
well as decision, which always characterised him, urged 
his claim to the Zealand so well, that it was admitted. 
The men from the boats lashed a cable round her bow¬ 
sprit., and the gun-vessel towed her away. It is affirmed, 
and probably with .truth, that the Danes felt more pain 
at beholding this than at all their misfortunes on the 
preceding day; and one of the officers. Commodore 
Steen Bille, went to the Trekroner battery, and asked 
the commander why he had not sunk the Zealand , 
rather than suffer her thus to be carried off by the 
enemy ? 

This was, indeed, a mournful day for Copenhagen! 
It was Gfood Friday; but the general agitation, and 
the mourning which was in every house, made all 
distinction of days be forgotten. There were, at that 
hour, thousands in that city who felt, and more, 
perhaps, who needed, the consolations of Christianity; 






i801. 


LOSSES FROM THE BATTLE. 


291 


but few or none who could be calm enough to think of 
its observances. The English were actively employed 
in refitting their own ships, securing the prizes, and 
distributing the prisoners; the Danes, in carrying on 
shore and disposing of the wounded and the dead. It 
had been a murderous action. Our loss, in killed and 
wounded, was nine hundred and fifty-three. Part of 
this slaughter might have been spared. The command¬ 
ing officer of the troops on board one of our ships 
asked where his men should be stationed ? He was 
told that they could be of no use; that they were not 
near enough for musquetry, and were not wanted at 
the guns; they had, therefore, better go below. This, 
he said, was impossible—it would be a disgrace that 
could never be wiped away. They were, therefore, 
drawn up upon the gangway, to satisfy this cruel point of 
honour; and there, without the possibility of annoying 
the enemy, they were mowed down! The loss of the 
Danes, including prisoners, amounted to about six 
thousand. The negotiations, meantime, went on ; and 
it was agreed that Nelson should have an interview 
with the prince the following day. Hardy and Free- 
mantle landed with him. This was a thing as un¬ 
exampled as the other circumstances of the battle. A 
strong guard was appointed to escort him to the palace, 
as much for the purpose of security as of honour. The 
populace, according to the British account, showed a 
mixture of admiration, curiosity, and displeasure, at 
beholding that man in the midst of them who had 
inflicted such wounds upon Denmark. But there were 
neither acclamations nor murmurs. “ The people,” 
says a Dane, “ did not degrade themselves with the 


292 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


former, nor disgrace themselves with the latter: the 
admiral was received as one brave enemy ever ought 
to receive another — he was received with respect.” 
The preliminaries of the negotiations were adjusted at 
this interview. During the repast which followed, 
Nelson, with all the sincerity of his character, bore 
willing testimony to the valour of his foes. He told 
the prince that he had been in a hundred and five 
engagements, but that this was the most tremendous of 
all. “The French,” he said, “fought bravely; but 
they could not have stood for one hour the fight which 
the Danes had supported for four.” He requested that 
Villemoes might be introduced to him; and, shaking 
hands with the youth, told the prince that he ought to 
be made an admiral. The prince replied: “If, my 
lord, I am to make all my brave officers admirals, I 
should have no captains or lieutenants in my service.” 

The sympathy of the Danes for their countrymen 
who had bled in their defence was not weakened by 
distance of time or place in this instance. Things 
needful for the service or the comfort of the wounded 
were sent in profusion to the hospitals, till the super¬ 
intendents gave public notice that they could receive 
no more. On the third day after the action the dead 
were buried in the naval churchyard: the ceremony 
was made as, public and as solemn as the occasion 
required; such a procession had never before been seen 
in that or, perhaps, in any other city. A public 
monument was erected upon the spot where the slain 
were gathered together. A subscription was opened 
on the day of the funeral for the relief of the suffereis, 
and collections in aid of it made throughout all the 


1801. 


DISPOSAL OF THE PHIZES. 


293 


churches in the kingdom. This appeal to the feelings 
of the people was made with circumstances which gave 
it full effect. A monument was raised in the midst of 
the church, surmounted by the Danish colours: young 
maidens, dressed in white, stood round it, with either one 
who had been wounded in the battle, or the widow and 
orphans of some one who had fallen : a suitable oration 
was delivered from the pulpit, and patriotic hymns and 
songs were afterwards performed. Medals were dis¬ 
tributed to all the officers, and to the men who had 
distinguished themselves. Poets and painters vied wkh 
each other in celebrating a battle which, disastrous : 
it was, had yet been honourable to their country,’: some, 
with pardonable sophistry, represented the advantage 
of the day as on their own side. One writer discovered 
a more curious, but less disputable, ground of satis¬ 
faction, in the reflection that Nelson, as may be inferred 
from his name, was of Danish descent, and his actions, 
therefore, the Dane argued, were attributable to Danish 
valour. 

The negotiation was continued during the five fol¬ 
lowing days; and, in that interval, the prizes were 
disposed of, in a manner which was little approved by 
Nelson. Six line-of-battle ships and eight praams had 
been taken. Of these, the Holstein, 64, was the only 
one which was sent home. The Zealand was a finer 
ship: but the Zealand, and all the others, were burnt, 
and their brass battering cannon sunk with the hulls in 
such shoal water, that, when the fleet returned from 
Revel, they found the Danes with craft over the wrecks 
employed in getting the guns up again. Nelson, though 
he forbore from any public expression of displeasure at 


294 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


seeing the proofs and trophies of his victory destroyed, 
did not forget to represent to the Admiralty the case of 
those who were thus deprived of their prize-money. 
“ Whether,” said he to Earl St. Vincent, “ Sir Hyde 
Parker may mention the subject to you, I know not; 
for he is rich, and does not want it: nor is it, you will 
believe me, any desire to get a few hundred pounds that 
actuates me to address this letter to you, but justice to 
the brave officers and men who fought on that day. It 
is true our opponents were in hulks and floats, only 
adapted for the position they were in; but that made 
our battle so much the harder, and victory so much the 
more difficult to obtain. Believe me, I have weighed 
all the circumstances; and, in my conscience, I think 
that the king should send a gracious message to the 
House of Commons for a gift to this fleet: for what 
must be the natural feelings of the officers and men be¬ 
longing to it, to see their rich commander-in-chief burn 
all the fruits of their victory,—which, if fitted up and 
sent to England (as many of them might have been by 
dismantling part of our fleet), would have sold for a 
good round sum ? ” 

On the 9th, Nelson landed again, to conclude the 
terms of the armistice. During its continuance the 
armed ships and vessels of Denmark were to remain in 
their then actual situation, as to armament, equipment, 
and hostile position ; and the treaty of armed neutrality, 
as far as related to the co-operation of Denmark, was 
suspended. The prisoners were to be sent on shore; 
an acknowledgment being given for them, and for the 
wounded also, that they might be carried to Great 
Britain’s credit in the account of war, in case hostilities 


1801. 


CONFERENCE OF THE COMMISSIONERS. 


295 


should be renewed. The British fleet was allowed to 
provide itself with all things requisite for the health 
and comfort of its men. A difficulty arose respecting 
the duration of the armistice. The Banish commis¬ 
sioners fairly stated their fears of Russia ; and Nelson, 
with that frankness which sound policy and the sense 
of power seem often to require as well as justify in 
diplomacy, told them his reason for demanding a long 
term was, .that he might have time to act against the 
Russian fleet, and then return to Copenhagen. Neither 
party would yield upon this point; and one of the Banes 
hinted at the renewal of hostilities. “ Renew hostil¬ 
ities!” cried Nelson to one of his friends,—for he 
understood French enough to comprehend what was 
said, though not to answer it in the same language,— 
“ tell him we are ready at a moment!—ready to bom¬ 
bard this very night! ” The conference, however, 
proceeded amicably on both sides ; and as the com¬ 
missioners could not agree upon this head, they broke 
up, leaving Nelson to settle it with the prince. A levee 
was held forthwith in one of the state-rooms; a scene 
well suited for such a consultation : for all these rooms 
had been stript of their furniture, in fear of a bombard¬ 
ment. To a bombardment also Nelson was looking at 
this time : fatigue, and anxiety, and vexation at the 
dilatory measures of the commander-in-chief, combined 
to make him irritable: and as he was on the way to the 
prince’s dining-room, he whispered to the officer on 
whose arm he was leaning, “ Though I have only one 
eye, I can see that all this will burn well.” After 
dinner he was closeted with the prince ; and they agreed 
that the armistice should continue fourteen weeks; and 


Z'Jb 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


that, at its termination, fourteen days’ notice should be 
given before the recommencement of hostilities. 

An official account of the battle was published by 
Olfert Fischer, the Danish commander-in-chief, in which 
it was asserted that our force was greatly superior; 
nevertheless, that two of our ships of the line had struck, 
that the others were so weakened, and especially Lord 
Nelson’s own ship, as to fire only single shots for an 
hour before the end of the action; and that this hero 
himself, in the middle and very heat of the conflict, sent 
a flag of truce on shore to propose a cessation of hos¬ 
tilities. For the truth of this account the Dane appealed 
to the prince, and all those who, like him, had been 
eye-witnesses of the scene. Nelson was exceedingly 
indignant at such a statement, and addressed a letter 
in confutation of it, to the adjutant-general, Lindholm ; 
thinking this incumbent upon him, for the information 
of the prince, since his royal highness had been appealed 
to as a witness: “ Otherwise,” said he, “ had Commo¬ 
dore Fischer confined himself to his own veracity, I 
should have treated his official letter with the contempt 
it deserved, and allowed the world to appreciate the 
merits of the two contending officers.” After pointing 
out and detecting some of the misstatements in the 
account, he proceeds : tc As to his nonsense about vic¬ 
tory, his royal highness will not much credit him. I 
sunk, burned, captured, or drove into the harbour, the 
whole line of defence to the southward of the Crown 
Islands. He says he is told that two British ships struck. 
Why did he not take possession of them ? I took pos¬ 
session of his as fast as they struck. The reason is clear, 
that he did not believe it; he must have known the 















1801 . 


HIS LETTER TO THE DANISH COMMANDER. 


297 


falsity of the report. He states, that the ship in which 
I had the honour to hoist my flag fired latterly only 
single guns. It is true; for steady and cool were my 
brave fellows, and did not wish to throw away a single 
shot. He seems to exult that I sent on shore a flag of 
truce. You know, and his royal highness knows, that 
the guns fired from the shore could only fire through 
the Danish ships which had surrendered ; and that, if I 
fired at the shore, it could only be in the same manner, 
(rod forbid that I should destroy an unresisting Dane! 
When they became my prisoners, I became their pro¬ 
tector.” 

This letter was written in terms of great asperity 
against the Danish commander. Lindholm replied in 
a manner every way honourable to himself. He vindi¬ 
cated the commodore in some points, and excused him 
in others, reminding Nelson that every commander-in¬ 
chief was liable to receive incorrect reports. With a 
natural desire to represent the action in a most favour¬ 
able light to Denmark, he took into the comparative 
strength of the two parties the ships which were aground, 
and which could not get into action: and omitted the 
Trekroner and the batteries upon Amak Island. He 
disclaimed all idea of claiming as a victory, “ what to 
every intent and purpose,” said he, Cf was a defeat, but 
not an inglorious one. As to your lordship’s motive for 
sending a flag of truce, it never can be misconstrued; 
and your subsequent conduct has sufficiently shown that 
humanity is always the companion of true valour. You 
have done more : you have shown yourself a friend to 
the re-establishment of peace and good harmony be¬ 
tween this country and Great Britain. It is, therefore. 


298 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


with the sincerest esteem I shall always feel myself 
attached to your lordship.” Thus handsomely winding 
up his reply, he soothed and contented Nelson ; who, 
drawing up a memorandum of the comparative force of 
the two parties, for his own satisfaction, assured Lind- 
holm, that if the commodore’s statement had been in 
the same manly and honourable strain, he would have 
been the last man to have noticed any little inaccuracies 
which might get into a commander-in-chief’s public 
letter. 

For the battle of Copenhagen, Nelson was raised to 
the rank of viscount: an inadequate mark of reward for 
services so splendid, and of such paramount importance 
to the dearest interests of England. There was, how¬ 
ever, some prudence in dealing out honours to him step 
by step; had he lived long enough, he would have 
fought his way up to a dukedom 










Recall of Sir Hyde Parker, and Appointment of Nelson to the 
Command—Goes to Revel—Peace with Russia, and Settlement of 
Affairs in the Baltic—Suspicious Conduct of Denmark—Returns 
to England—Commands the Channel Fleet—Unsuccessful Attack 
on the French Flotilla at Boulogne—Peace of Amiens—Renewal 
of the War—Nelson again takes the Command in the Medi¬ 
terranean— Hostilities with Spain—Blockade of Toulon—M. 
Latouche Treville—Escape of Villeneuve’s Fleet—Nelson goes 
to Egypt in search of it—Then chases it to the West Indies and 
back—Delivers up his Squadron to Admiral Cornwallis—Returns 
to England. 


i 















































THE ATTACK ON THE BOULOGNE FLOTIXJ.A. 


CHAPTER VIII. 

When Nelson informed Earl St. Vincent that the armis¬ 
tice had been concluded, he told him also, without 
reserve, his own discontent at the dilatoriness and 
indecision which he witnessed, and could not remedy. 
66 No man,” said he, <c but those who are on the spot, 
can tell what I have gone through, and do suffer. I 
make no scruple in saying, that I would have been at 
Revel fourteen days ago! that, without this armistice, 
the fleet would never have gone, but by order of the 
Admiralty; and w~’th it, I daresay, we shall not go this 




















302 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


week. I wanted Sir Hyde to let me, at least, go and 
cruise off Carlscrona, to prevent the Eevel ships from 
getting in. I said I would not go to Revel to take any 
of those laurels which I was sure he would reap there. 
Think for me, my dear lord; and if I have deserved 
well, let me return: if ill, for Heaven’s sake supersede 
me,—for I cannot exist in this state.” 

Fatigue, incessant anxiety, and a climate little suited 
to one of a tender constitution, which had now for many 
years been accustomed to more genial latitudes, made 
him, at this time, seriously determine upon returning 
home. “ If the northern business were not settled,” he 
said, “ they must send more admirals; for the keen air 
of the north had cut him to the heart.” He felt the 
want of activity and decision in the commander-in-chief 
more keenly; and this affected his spirits, and con¬ 
sequently his health, more than the inclemency of the 
Baltic. Soon after the armistice was signed, Sir Hyde 
proceeded to the eastward, with such ships as were fit 
for service, leaving Nelson to follow with the rest, as 
soon as those which had received slight damages should 
be repaired, and the rest sent to England. In passing 
between the isles of Amak and Saltholm, most of the 
ships touched the ground, and some of them stuck fast 
for a while; no serious injury, however, was sustained: 
It was intended to act against the Russians first, before 
the breaking up of the frost should enable them to leave 
Revel; but, learning on the way that the Swedes had 
put to sea to effect a junction with them, Sir Hyde 
altered his course, in hopes of intercepting this part of 
the enemy’s force. Nelson had, at this time, provided 
for the more pressing emergencies of the service, and 








1801. 


GOES IN SEARCH OF THE SWEDES. 


303 


prepared, on the 18th, to follow the fleet. The St. George 
drew too much water to pass the channel between the 
isles without being lightened: the guns were therefore 
taken out, and put on board an American vessel: a 
contrary wind, however, prevented Nelson from moving; 
and on that same evening, while he was thus delayed, 
information reached him of the relative situation of the 
Swedish and British fleets, and the probability of an 
action. The fleet was nearly ten leagues distant; and 
both wind and current contrary; but it was not possible 
that Nelson could wait for a favourable season unde-r 
such an expectation. He ordered his boat immediately 
and stepp.ed into it. Night was setting in,— one of the 
cold spring nights of the north,— and it was discovered, 
soon after they had left the ship, that, in their haste., 
they had forgotten to provide him with a boat-cloak. 
He, however, forbade them to return for one : and when 
one of his companions offered his own great-coat, and 
urged him to make use of it, he replied, “ I thank you 
very much,—but, to tell you the truth, my anxiety 
keeps me sufficiently warm at present/’ 

“ Do you think,” said he, presently, “ that our fleet 
has quitted Bornholm ? If it has, we must follow it to 
Carlscrona.” About midnight he reached it, an 1 once 
more got on board the Elephant. On the following 
morning the Swedes were discovered; as soon, how¬ 
ever, as they perceived the English approaching, they 
retired, and took shelter in Carlscrona, behind the 
batteries on the island, at the entrance of that port. 
Sir Hyde sent in a flag of truce, stating that Denmark 
had concluded an armistice, and requiring an explicit 
declaration from the court of Sweden, whether it would 


304 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


18C 


adhere to, or abandon, the hostile measures which it had 
taken against the rights and interests of Great Britain ? 
The commander, Vice-Admiral Cronstadt, replied, 
“ That he could not answer a question which did not 
come within the particular circle of his duty; but that 
the king was then at Maloe, and would seen be at 
Carlscrona.” Gustavus shortly afterwards arrived, and 
an answer was then returned to this effect: “ That his 
Swedish majesty would not, for a moment, fail to fulfil, 
with fidelity and sincerity, the engagements he had 
entered into with his allies ; but he would not refuse to 
listen to equitable proposals made by deputies furnished 
with proper authority by the King of Great Britain to 
the united northern powers.” Satisfied with this an¬ 
swer, and with the known disposition of the Swedish 
court, Sir Hyde sailed for the Gulf of Finland ; but he 
had not proceeded far before a despatch boat, from the 
Russian ambassador at Copenhagen, arrived, bringing 
intelligence of the death of the Emperor Paul; and that 
his successor, Alexander, had accepted the offer made 
by Ed gland to his father, of terminating the dispute by 
a convention; the British admiral was therefore required 
to desist from all further hostilities. 

It w’as Nelson’s maxim that, to negotiate with effect, 
force should be at hand, and in a situation to act. The 
fleet, having been reinforced from England, amounted 
to eighteen sail of the line; and the wind was fair for 
Revel. There he would have sailed immediately, to 
place himself between that division of the Russian fleet 
and the squadron at Cronstadt, in case this offer should 
orove io sincere. Sir Hyde, on the other hand, believed 
Rat the death of Paul had effected all that was neces- 






1801. 


IS APPOINTED COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF. 


305 


sary. The manner of that death, indeed, rendered it 
apparent that a change of policy would take place in the 
cabinet of Petersburg; but Nelson never trusted any¬ 
thing to the uncertain events of time which could pos¬ 
sibly be secured by promptitude or resolution. It was 
not, therefore, without severe mortification that he saw 
the commander-in-chief return to the coast of Zealand, 
and anchor in Kioge Bay, there to wait patiently for 
what might happen. 

There the fleet remained, till despatches arrived 
from home, on the 5th of May, recalling Sir Hyde, and 
appointing Nelson commander-in-chief. 

Nelson wrote to Earl St. Vincent that he was unable 
to hold this honourable station. Admiral Graves also 
was so ill, as to be confined to his bed; and he entreated 
that some person might come out and take the com¬ 
mand. <c I will endeavour,” said he, “ to do my best 
while I remain: but, my dear lord, I shall either soon 
go to heaven, I hope, or must rest quiet for a time. If 
Sir Hyde were gone, I would now be under sail.” On 
the day when this was written he received news of his 
appointment. Not a moment was now lost. His first 
signal, as commander-in-chief, was to hoist in all 
launches, and prepare to weigh : and on the 7th he 
sailed from Kioge. Part of his fleet was left at Born¬ 
holm, to watch the Swedes: from whom he required, 
and obtained, an assurance, that the British trade in the 
Cattegat, and in the Baltic, should not be molested ; 
and saying how unpleasant it would be to him if anything 
should happen which might, for a moment, disturb the 
returning harmony between Sweden and Great Britain 
he apprised them that he was not directed to abstain 

x 


■305 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


from hostilities should he meet with the Swedish fleet 
at sea. Meantime he himself, with ten sail of the line, 
two frigates, a brig, and a schooner, made for the Grulf 
of Finland. Paul, in one of the freaks of his tyranny, 
had seized upon all the British effects in Russia, and 
even considered British subjects as his prisoners. “ I 
will have all the English shipping and property re¬ 
stored,” said Nelson, “ but I will do nothing violently, 
— neither commit the affairs of my country, nor suffer 
Russia to mix the affairs of Denmark or Sweden with 
the detention of our ships.” The wind was fair, and 
carried him in four days to Revel Roads. But the bay 
had been clear of firm ice on the 29th of April, while 
the English were lying idly at Kioge. The Russians 
had cut through the ice in the mole six feet thick, and 
their whole squadron had sailed for Cronstadt on the 
3d. Before that time it had lain at the mercy of the 
English,—“Nothing,” Nelson said, “if it had been 
right to make the attack, could have saved one ship of 
them in two hours after our entering the bay.” 

It so happened that there was no cause to regret the 
opportunity which had been lost, and Nelson immedi¬ 
ately put the intentions of Russia to the proof. He 
sent on shore to say, that he came with friendly views, 
and was ready to return a salute. On their part the 
. salute was delayed, till a message was sent to them to 
inquire for what reason : and the officer, whose neglect 
had occasioned the delay, was put under arrest. Nelson 
wrote to the emperor, proposing to wait on him per¬ 
sonally, and congratulate him on his accession, and 
urged the immediate release of British subjects, and 
restoration of British property. 


1801. 


PEACE WITH EUSSIA. 


307 


The answer arrived on the 16th : Nelson, meantime, 
had exchanged visits with the governor, and the most 
friendly intercourse had subsisted between the ships and 
the shore. Alexander’s ministers, in their reply, ex¬ 
pressed their surprise at the arrival of a British fleet in 
a Russian port, and their wish that it should return: 
they professed, on the part of Russia, the most friendly 
disposition towards Great Britain, but declined the per¬ 
sonal visit of Lord Nelson, unless he came in a single 
ship. There was a suspicion implied in this which 
stung Nelson ; and he said the Russian ministers would 
never have written thus if their fleet had been at Revel. 
He wrote an immediate reply, expressing what he felt: 
he told the court of Petersburg, “ That the word of a 
British admiral, when given in explanation of any part 
of his conduct, was as sacred as that of any sovereign in 
Europe.” And he repeated, “that, under other cir¬ 
cumstances, it would have been his anxious wish to have 
paid his personal respects to the emperor, and signed 
with his own hand the act of amity between the two 
countries.” Having despatched this, he stood out to 
sea immediately, leaving a brig to bring off the pro¬ 
visions which had been contracted for, and to settle the 
accounts. “ I hope all is right,” said he, writing to 
our ambassador at Berlin; “but seamen are but bad 
negotiators; for we put to issue in five minutes what 
diplomatic forms would be five months doing.” 

On his way down the Baltic, however, he met the 
Russian Admiral Tchitchagof, whom the emperor, in 
reply to Sir Hyde’s overtures, had sent to communicate 
personally with the British commander-in-chief. The 
reply was such as had been wished and expected: and 


308 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


these negotiators going, seaman-like, straight to their 
object, satisfied each other of the friendly intentions of 
their respective governments. Nelson then anchored off 
Rostock; and there he received an answer to his last 
despatch from Revel, in which the Russian court ex¬ 
pressed their regret that there should have been any 
misconception between them, informed him that the 
British vessels which Paul had detained were ordered 
to be liberated, and invited him to Petersburg in what¬ 
ever mode might be most agreeable to himself. Other 
honours awaited him : the Duke of Mecklenburg-Stre- 
litz, the queen’s brother, came to visit him on board his 
ship; and towns of the inland parts of Mecklenburg 
sent deputations, with their public books of record, that 
they might have the name of Nelson in them written 
by his own hand. 

From Rostock, the fleet returned to Kioge Bay. 
Nelson saw that the temper of the Danes towards Eng¬ 
land was such as naturally arose from the chastisement 
which they had so recently received. “ In this nation,” 
said he, “ we shall not be forgiven for having the upper 
hand of them : I only thank Grod we have, or they 
would try to humble us to the dust.” He saw also 
that the Danish cabinet was completely subservient to 
France : a French officer was at this time the companion 
and counsellor of the crown-prince; and things were 
done in such open violation of the armistice, that Nel¬ 
son thought a second infliction of vengeance would soon 
be necessary. He wrote to the Admiralty, requesting 
a clear and explicit reply to his inquiry: whether the 
commander-in-chief was at liberty to hold the language 
becoming a British admiral ? “ Which, very probably/ 


1801. 


CONDUCT OF DENMARK. 


309 


said he, “ if I am here, will break the armistice, and 
set Copenhagen in a blaze. I see everything which is 
dirty and mean going on, and the prince-royal at the 
head of it. Ships have been masted, guns taken on 
board, floating batteries prepared, and, except hauling 
out and completing their rigging, everything is done in 
defiance of the treaty. My heart burns at seeing the 
word of a prince, nearly allied to our good king, so 
falsified; but his conduct is such, that he will lose his 
kingdom if he goes on, for Jacobins rule in Denmark. 
I have made no representations yet, as it would be use¬ 
less to do so until I have the power of correction. All 
I beg, in the name of the future commander-in-chief, is, 
that the orders may be dear; for enough is done to break 
twenty treaties if it should be wished, or to make the 
prince-royal humble himself before British generosity/’ 
Nelson was not deceived in his judgment of the 
Danish cabinet, but the battle of Copenhagen had crip¬ 
pled its power. The death of the Czar Paul had broken 
the confederacy; and that cabinet, therefore, was com¬ 
pelled to defer, till a more convenient season, the indul¬ 
gence of its enmity towards Great Britain. Soon after¬ 
wards, Admiral Sir Charles Maurice Pole arrived to 
take the command. The business, military and po¬ 
litical, had by that time been so far completed, that the 
presence of the British fleet soon became no longer 
necessary. Sir Charles, however, made the short time 
of his command memorable, by passing the Great Belt, 
for the first time, with line-of-battle ships; working 
through the channel against adverse winds. When 
Nelson left the fleet, this speedy termination of the 
expedition, though confidently expected, was not cer» 


310 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801 


tain; and he, in his unwillingness to weaken the British 
force, thought at one time of traversing Jutland in hi? 
boat, by the canal, to Tonningen on the Eyder, and 
finding his way home from thence. This intention 
was not executed; but he returned in a brig, declining 
to accept a frigate : which few admirals would have 
done, especially if, like him, they suffered from sea¬ 
sickness in a small vessel. On his arrival at Yarmouth, 
he was presently surrounded by the populace, and the 
military were drawn up in the market-place ready to 
receive him, but making his way through the dust, and 
the crowd, and the clamour, he went straight to the 
hospital to see the men who had been wounded in the 
late battle,—that victory which had added new glory to 
the name of Nelson, and which was of more importance, 
even than the battle of the Nile, to the honour, the 
strength, and security of England. He stopped at 
every bed, and had something kind and cheering to say 
to every man. Coming to a bed on which a sailor was 
lying, whose right arm had been taken off, close to the 
shoulder-joint, he said to him, “ Well, Jack, what’s the 
matter?” “ Lost my right arm, your honour,” was 
his reply. Nelson paused, looked down at his own 
empty sleeve, then at the sailor, and said playfully, 
“ Well, Jack, then you and I are spoilt for fishermen. 
Cheer up, my brave fellow!” and he passed briskly on 
to the next bed. But these few words, says Dr. Grood, 
then a youth, who was attending that hospital, and 
went round the wards with him—these few words had 
3, magical effect upon the poor fellow: I saw his eyes 
sparkle with delight as Nelson turned away and pur¬ 
sued his course. 


1801. 


THREATENED FRENCH INVASION. 


311 


He had Dot been many weeks on shore before he 
was called upon to undertake a service for which no 
Nelson was required. Bonaparte, who was now first 
consul, and in reality sole ruler of France, was making 
preparations, upon a great scale, for invading England : 
but his schemes in the Baltic had been baffled: fleets 
could not be created as they were wanted ; and his 
armies, therefore, were to come over in gun-boats, and 
such small craft as could be rapidly built or collected 
for the occasion. From the* former governments of 
France, such threats have only been matter of insult or 
policy : in Bonaparte they were sincere; for this adven¬ 
turer, intoxicated with success, already began to imagine 
that all things were to be submitted to his fortune. 
We had not at that time proved the superiority of our 
soldiers over the French; and the unreflecting mul¬ 
titude were not to be persuaded that an invasion could 
only be effected by numerous and powerful fleets. A 
general alarm was excited: and, in condescension to 
this unworthy feeling, Nelson was appointed to a com¬ 
mand extending from Orfordness to Beachy Head, on 
both shores:—a sort of service, he said, for which he 
felt no other ability than what might be found in his 
zeal. 

To this service, however, such as it was, he applied 
with his wonted alacrity; and having hoisted his flag in 
the Medusa frigate, went to reconnoitre Boulogne, the 
point from which it was supposed the great attempt 
would be made, and which the French, in fear of an 
attack themselves, were fortifying with all care. He 
approached near enough to sink two of their floating 
batteries, and destroy a few gun-boats which were 


A* 



1801. 


< ' Vvithoutfthe'piki'j rlwl^kdapiage was done within could 



the service will admit.” Enough was done to show the 
enemy that they could not, with impunity, come out¬ 
side their own ports. Nelson was satisfied, by what he 
saw, that they meant to make an attempt from this 
place, but that it was impracticable ; for the least wind 
at W.N.W., and they were lost. The ports of Flushing 
and Flanders were better points : there we could not 
tell by our eyes what means of transport were provided. 
From thence, therefore, if it came forth at all, the ex¬ 
pedition would come: — “ And what a forlorn under¬ 
taking ! ” said he : “ consider cross tides, &c. As for 
rowing, that is impossible. It is perfectly right to be 
prepared for a mad government: but with the active 
force which has been given me, I may pronounce it 
almost impracticable.” 

That force had been got together with an alacrity 
which has seldom been equalled. On the 28th of July 
we were, in Nelson’s own words, literally at the foun¬ 
dation of our fabric of defence: and twelve days after¬ 
wards we were so prepared on the enemy’s coast, that 
he did not believe they could get three miles from their 
ports. The Medusa , returning to our own shores, 
anchored in the rolling ground off Harwich; and when 
Nelson wished to get to the Nore in her, the wind 
rendered it impossible to proceed there by the usual 
channel. In haste to be at the Nore, remembering that 
he had been a tolerable pilot for the mouth of the 













1801. 


RESOLVES TO ATTACK THE FLOTILLA. 


313 


Thames in his younger days, and thinking it necessary 
that he should know all that could be known of the 
navigation, he requested the maritime surveyor of the 
coast, Mr. Spence, to get him into the Swin, by any 
channel: for neither the pilots whom he had on board, 
nor the Harwich ones, would take charge of the ship. 
No vessel drawing more than fourteen feet had ever 
before ventured over the Naze. Mr. Spence, however, 
who had surveyed the channel, carried her safely through. 
The channel has since been called Nelson’s, though he 
himself wished it to be named after the Medusa: his 
name needed no new memorial. 

Nelson’s eye was upon Flushing, “ To take posses¬ 
sion of that place,” he said, “ would be a week’s expe¬ 
dition for four or five thousand troops.” This, however, 
required a consultation with the Admiralty; and that 
something might be done meantime, he resolved upon 
attacking the flotilla in the mouth of Boulogne harbour. 
This resolution was made in deference to the opinion 
of others, and to the public feeling which was so pre¬ 
posterously excited. He himself scrupled not to assert, 
that the French army would never embark at Boulogne 
for the invasion of England; and he owned, that this 
boat-warfare was not congenial to his feelings. Into 
Helvoet or Flushing he should be happy to lead, if 
Government turned their thoughts that way. “ While 
I serve,” said he, “ I will do it actively, and to the 
very best of my abilities. I require nursing like a 
child,” he added*, “ my mind carries me beyond my 
strength, and will do me up : but such is my nature.” 

The attack was made by the boats of the squadron 
in five divisions, under Captains Somerville, Parker, 


314 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


Cotgrave, Jones, and Conn. The previous essay had 
taught the French the weak parts of their position; 
and they omitted no means of strengthening it, and of 
guarding against the expected attempt. The boats put 
off about half an hour before midnight; but, owing to 
the darkness, and tide and half tide, which must always 
make night-attacks so uncertain on the coasts of the 
channel, the divisions separated. One could not arrive 
at all; another not till near daybreak. The others 
made their attack gallantly; but the enemy were fully 
prepared: every vessel was defended by long poles, 
headed with iron spikes, projecting from their sides: 
strong nettings were braced up to their lower yards; 
they were moored by the bottom to the shore, and 
chained one to another; they were strongly manned 
with soldiers, and protected by land-batteries, and the 
shore was lined with troops. Many were taken posses¬ 
sion of; and, though they could not have been brought 
out, would have been burned, had not the French 
resorted to a mode of offence, which they have often 
used, but which no other people have ever been wicked 
enough to employ. The moment the firing ceased on 
board one of their own vessels, they fired upon it from 
the shore, perfectly regardless of their own men. 

The commander of one of the French divisions 
acted like a generous enemy. He hailed the boats as 
they approached, and cried out in English, “ Let me 
advise you, my brave Englishmen, to keep your dis¬ 
tance : you can do nothing here; and it is only 
uselessly shedding the blood of brave men to make the 
attempt.” The French official account boasted of the 
victory. “ The combat,” it said, “took place in sight 


i 







1801. 


FAILURE OF TEE ATTACK. 


315 


of both countries; it was the first of the kind, and the 
historian would have cause to make this remark.” 
They guessed our loss at four or five hundred: it 
amounted to one hundred and seventy-two. In his 
private letters to the Admiralty, Nelson affirmed that 
had our force arrived as he intended, it was not all 
the chains in France which could have prevented our 
men from bringing off the whole of the vessels. There 
had been no error committed, and never did English¬ 
men display more courage. Upon this point Nelson 
was fully satisfied; but he said he should never bring 
himself again to allow any attack wherein he was not 
personally concerned; and that his mind suffered more 
than if he had had a leg shot off in the affair. He 
grieved particularly for Captain Parker, an excellent 
officer, to whom he was greatly attached, and who had 
an aged father looking to him for assistance. His thigh 
was shattered in the action, and the wound proved 
mortal, after some weeks of suffering and manly resig¬ 
nation. During this interval. Nelson’s anxiety was 
very great. “ Dear Parker is my child,” said he, “ for 
I found him in distress.” And, when he received the 
tidings of his death, he replied:—“You will judge 
of my feelings: (rod’s will be done. I beg that his 
hair may be cut off and given me; it shall be buried in 
my grave. Poor Mr. Parker ! what a son has he lost! 
If I were to say I was content, I should lie; but I shall 
endeavour to submit with all the fortitude in my power. 
His loss has made a wound in my heart which time 
will hardly heal.” 

He now wished to be relieved from this service. 
The country, he said, had attached a confidence to his 


316 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801 


name which he had submitted to, and therefore had 
cheerfully repaired to the station; but this boat 
business, though it might be part of a great plan of 
invasion, could never be the only one, and he did not 
think it was a command for a vice-admiral. It was 
not that he wanted a more lucrative situation; for, 
seriously indisposed as he was, and low-spirited from 
private considerations, he did not know, if the Medi¬ 
terranean were vacant, that he should be equal to 
undertake it. Just at this time the peace of Amiens 
was signed. Nelson rejoiced that the experiment was 
made, but was well aware that it was an experiment: 
he saw what he called the misery of peace, unless the 
utmost vigilance and prudence were exerted; and he 
expressed, in bitter terms, his proper indignation at the 
manner in which the mob of London welcomed the 
French general who brought the ratification; saying, 
i( that they made him ashamed of his country.” 

He had purchased a house and estate at Merton, in 
Surrey, meaning to pass his days there, in the society of 
Sir William and Lady Hamilton. This place he had 
never seen, till he was now welcomed there by the 
friends to whom he had so passionately devoted himself, 
and who were not less sincerely attached to him. The 
place, and everything which Lady Hamilton had done 
to it, delighted him; and he declared that the longest 
liver should possess it all. His pensions for his vic¬ 
tories, and for the loss of his eye and arm, amounted, 
with his half-pay, to about 3400L a-j^ear. From this 
he gave 1800Z. to Lady Nelson, 200 1 . to his brother s 
widow, and 150£. for the education of his children ; and 
he paid 5001 . interest for borrowed money: so that 











i801. ATTACHMENT TO LADY HAMILTON EXPLAINED. 


317 


Nelson was comparatively a poor man; and though 
much of the pecuniary embarrassment which he en¬ 
dured was occasioned by the separation from his wife— 
even if that cause had not existed, his income would 
not have been sufficient for the rank which he held, 
and the claims which would necessarily be made upon 
his bounty. The depression of spirits under which he 
had long laboured arose partly from this state of his 
circumstances, and partly from the other disquietudes 
in which his connection with Lady Hamilton had in¬ 
volved him,—a connection which it was not possible his 
father could behold without sorrow and displeasure. 
Mr. Nelson, however, was soon convinced that the 
attachment, which Lady Nelson regarded with natural 
jealousy and resentment, did not, in reality, pass the 
bounds of ardent and romantic admiration,—a passion 
which the manners and accomplishments of Lady Ham¬ 
ilton, fascinating as they were, would not have been 
able to excite, if they had not been accompanied by 
more uncommon intellectual endowments, and by a 
character which, both in its strength and in its weak¬ 
ness, resembled his own. It did not, therefore, require 
much explanation to reconcile him to his son;—an 
event the more essential to Nelson’s happiness, because, 
a few months afterwards, the good old man died at the 
age of seventy-nine. 

Soon after the conclusion of peace, tidings arrived 
of our final and decisive successes in Egypt: in con¬ 
sequence of which the common council voted their 
thanks to the army and navy for bringing the campaign 
to so glorious a conclusion. When Nelson, after the 
action of Cape St. Vincent, had been entertained at a 


318 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1801. 


city feast, he had observed to the lord mayor, “ That, i x 
the city continued its generosity, the navy would ruin 
them in gifts.” To which the lord mayor replied, 
putting his hand upon the admiral’s shoulder, 66 Do you 
find victories, and we will find rewards.” Nelson, as 
he said, had kept his word,—had doubly fulfilled his 
part of the contract,—but no thanks had been voted 
for the battle of Copenhagen ; and, feeling that he and 
his companions in that day’s glory had a fair and 
honourable claim to this reward, he took the present 
opportunity of addressing a letter to the lord mayor, 
complaining of the omission and the injustice. “ The 
smallest services,” said he, “ rendered by the army or 
navy to the country have always been noticed by the 
great city of London, with one exception—the glorious 
2d of April,—a day when the-greatest dangers of 
navigation were overcome, and the Danish force, which 
they thought impregnable, totally taken or destroyed, 
by the consummate skill of our commanders, and by 
the undaunted bravery of as gallant a band as ever 
defended the rights of this country. For myself, if I 
were only personally concerned, I should bear the 
stigma, attempted to be now first placed upon my 
brow, with humility. But, my lord, I am the natural 
guardian of the fame of all the officers of the navy, 
army, and marines, who fought, and so profusely bled, 
under my command on that day. Again I disclaim for 
myself more merit than naturally falls to a successful 
commander; but when I am called upon to speak of 
the merits of the captains of his majesty’s ships, and of 
the officers and men, whether seamen, marines, or sol¬ 
diers, whom I that day had the happiness to command, 






1801. SOLICTS HONOURS FOR HIS COMPANIONS. 319 

I then say, that never was the glory of this country 
upheld with more determined bravery than on that 
occasion: and, if I may be allowed to give an opinion 
as a Briton, then I say, that more important service 
was never rendered to our king and country. It is my 
duty, my lord, to prove to the brave fellows, my com¬ 
panions in danger, that I have not failed, at every 
proper place, to represent, as well as I am able, their 
bravery and meritorious conduct.” 

Another honour, of greater import, wa§ withheld 
from the conquerors. The king had given medals to 
those captains who were engaged in the battles of the 
1st of June, of Cape St. Vincent, of Camperdown, and 
of the Nile. Then came the victory at Copenhagen, 
which Nelson truly called the most difficult achieve¬ 
ment, the hardest-fought battle, the most glorious 
result that ever graced the annals of our country. He, 
of course, expected the medal; and, in writing to Earl 
St. Vincent, said—“He longed to have it, and would 
not give it up to be made an English duke.” The 
medal, however, was not given: — “For what reason,” 
said Nelson, “Lord St. Vincent best knows.” Words 
plainly implying a suspicion that it was withheld by 
some feeling of jealousy; and that suspicion estranged 
him, during the remaining part of his life, from one 
who had been at one time essentially, as well as sin¬ 
cerely, his friend, and of whose professional abilities 
he ever entertained the highest opinion. 

The happiness which Nelson enjoyed in the society 
of his chosen friends was of no long continuance. Sir 
William Hamilton, who was far advanced in years, died 
early in 1803. He expired in his wife’s arms, holding 


320 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


Nelson by the hand; and almost in his last words left 
her to his protection ; requesting him that he would see 
justice done her by the Grovernment, as he knew what 
she had done for her country. He left him her por¬ 
trait in enamel, calling him his dearest friend—the 
most virtuous, loyal, and truly brave character he had 
ever known. The codicil containing this bequest con¬ 
cluded with these words: “ Grod bless him, and shame 
fall on those who do not say amen.” Sir William’s 
pension, of 1200Z. a-year, ceased with his death. Nel¬ 
son applied to Mr. Addington in Lady Hamilton’s 
behalf, stating the important service which she had 
rendered to the fleet at Syracuse; and Mr. Addingtcn, 
it is said, acknowledged that she had a just claim upon 
the gratitude of the country. This barren acknowledg¬ 
ment was all that was obtained; but a sum, equal to 
the pension which her husband had enjoyed, was settled 
on her by Nelson, and paid in monthly payments during 
his life. A few weeks after this event the war was 
renewed; and, the day after his majesty’s message to 
parliament, Nelson departed to take the command of 
the Mediterranean fleet. 

He took his station immediately off Toulon, and 
there, with incessant vigilance, waited for the coming 
out of the enemy. When he had been fourteen months 
thus employed, he received a vote of thanks from the 
city of London, for his skill and perseverance in block¬ 
ading that port, so as to prevent the French from putting 
to sea. Nelson had not forgotten the wrong which the 
city had done to the Baltic fleet by their omission, and 
did not lose the opportunity, which this vote afforded, 
of recurring to that point. “I do assure your lord- 








1803, 


COMMANDS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. 32i 

shl P>”. said he > in his answer to the Lord Mayor, “ that 
there is not that man breathing who sets a higher value 
upon the thanks of his fellow-citizens of London than 
myself; but I should feel as much ashamed to receive 
ohem for a particular service, marked in the resolution, 
it 1 felt that I did not come withm that line of service, 



THE ENGLISH FLEET BEFORE TOULON. 

as I should feel hurt at having a great victory passed 
over without notice. I beg to inform your lordship, 
that the port of Toulon has never been blockaded by 
me : quite the reverse. Every opportunity has been 
offered the enemy to put to sea; for it is there that 
we hope to realise the hopes and expectations of our 
country.” Nelson then remarked, that the junior fkig- 

Y 































322 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


officers of his fleet had been omitted in this vote of 
thanks; and his surprise at the omission was expressed 
with more asperity, perhaps, than an offence, so entirely 
and manifestly unintentional, deserved: but it arose 
from that generous regard for the feelings as well as 
interests of all who were under his command, which 
made him as much beloved in the fleets of Britain as 
he was dreaded in those of the enemy. 

Never was any commander more beloved. He 
governed men by their reason and their affections: 
they knew that he was incapable of caprice or tyranny; 
and they obeyed him with alacrity and joy, because he 
possessed their confidence as well as their love. “ Our 
Nel,” they used to say, “ is as brave as a lion, and 
as gentle as a lamb.” Severe discipline he detested, 
though he had been bred in a severe school; he never 
inflicted corporal punishment, if it were possible to 
avoid it; and when compelled to enforce it, he, who 
was familiar with wounds and death, suffered like a 
woman. In his whole life Nelson was never known to 
act unkindly towards an officer. If he was asked to 
prosecute one for ill behaviour, he used to answer— 
That there was no occasion for him to ruin a poor 
devil, who was sufficiently his own enemy to ruin him¬ 
self.” But in Nelson there was more than the easiness 
and humanity of a happy nature: he did not merely 
abstain from injury; his was an active and watchful 
benevolence, ever desirous not only to render justice, 
but to do good. During the peace, he had spoken in 
parliament upon the abuses respecting prize-money, 
and had submitted plans to Government for more easily 
manning the navy, and preventing desertion from it, by 


1803. 


CONDUCT TO HIS OFFICERS. 


323 


bettering the condition of the seamen. He proposed that 
their certificates should be registered, and that every 
man who had served, with a good character, five years 
in war, should receive a bounty of two guineas annually 
after that time, and of four guineas after eight years. 
“ This,” he said, “ might, at first sight, appear an 
enormous sum for the state to pay; but the average life 
of a seaman is, from hard service, finished at forty-five : 
he cannot, therefore, enjoy the annuity many years; 
and the interest of the money saved by their not 
deserting, would go far to pay the whole expense.” 

To his midshipmen he ever showed the most winning 
kindness, encouraging the diffident, tempering the hasty, 
counselling and befriending both. “ Recollect,” he used 
to say, that you must be a seaman to be an officer; 
and also, that you cannot be a good officer without 
being a gentleman.” A lieutenant wrote to him to say, 
that he was dissatisfied with his captain. Nelson’s 
answer was in that spirit of perfect wisdom and perfect 
goodness, which regulated his whole conduct toward 
those who were under his command. “I have just 
received your letter; and I am truly sorry that any 
difference should arise between your captain, who has 
the reputation of being one of the bright officers of the 
service, and yourself, a very young man and a very 
young officer, who must naturally have much to learn : 
therefore the chance is that you are perfectly wrong in 
the disagreement. However, as your present situation 
must be very disagreeable, I will certainly take an early 
opportunity of removing you, provided your conduct to 
your present captain be such, that another may nob re¬ 
fuse to receive you.” The gentleness and benignity of 


324 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


his disposition never made him forget what was due to 
discipline. Being on one occasion applied to, to save 
a young officer from a court-martial, which he had pro¬ 
voked by his misconduct, his reply was, “ That he would 
do everything in his power to oblige so gallant and good 
an officer as Sir John Warren,” in whose name the 
intercession had been made; “but what,” he added, 
“ would he do if he were here ? Exactly what I have 
done, and am still willing to do. The young man must 
write such a letter of contrition as would be an acknow¬ 
ledgment of his great fault; and with a sincere promise, 
if his captain will intercede to prevent the impending 
court-martial, never to so misbehave again. On his 
captain’s enclosing me such a letter, with a request to 
cancel the order for the trial, I might be induced to do 
it: but the letters and reprimand will be given in the 
public order-book of the fleet, and read to all the 
officers. The young man has pushed himself forward 
to notice, and he must take the consequence. It was 
upon the quarter-deck, in the face of the ship’s com¬ 
pany, that he treated his captain with contempt; and I 
am in duty bound to support the authority and conse¬ 
quence of every officer under my command. A poor 
ignorant seaman is for ever punished for contempt to 
his superiors.” 

A dispute occurred in the fleet, while it was off 
Toulon, which called forth Nelson’s zeal for the rights 
and interests of the navy. Some young artillery 
officers, serving on board the bomb-vessels, refused to 
let their men perform any other duty but what related 
to the mortars. They wished to have it established, 
that their corps was not subject to the captain’s au- 


^ 803 . 


DISPUTE WITH THE ARTILLERY OFFICERS. 


325 


thority. The same pretensions were made in the 
channel fleet about the same time; and the artillery 
rested their claims to separate and independent au¬ 
thority on board, upon a clause in the Act, which they 
interpreted in their favour. Nelson took up the subject 
with all the earnestness which its importance deserved. 
“ There is no real happiness in this world,” said he, 
wuiting to Earl St. Vincent, as First Lord. “ With all 
cod tent and smiles around me, up start these artillery 
boys (I understand they are not beyond that age), and 
set us at defiance; speaking in the most disrespectful 
manner of the navy and its commanders. I know you, 
my dear lord, so well, that, with your quickness, the 
matter would have been settled, and perhaps some of 
them been broke. I am, perhaps, more patient; but, 
I do assure you, not less resolved, if my plan of con¬ 
ciliation is not attended to. You and I are on the eve 
of quitting the theatre of our exploits ; but we hold it 
due to our successors never, whilst we have a tongue to 
speak, or a hand to write, to allow the navy to be, in 
the smallest degree, injured in its discipline by our 
conduct.” To Trowbridge he wrote in the same spirit: 
—■“ It is the old history, trying to do away the Act of 
Parliament: but I trust they will never succeed; for, 
when they do, farewell to our naval superiority. We 
should be prettily commanded ! Let them once gain 
the step of being independent of the navy on board a 
ship, and they will soon have the other, and command 
us.—But, thank Gfod! my dear Trowbridge, the king 
himself cannot do away the Act of Parliament. Although 
my career is nearly run, yet it would embitter my future 
days and expiring moments to hear of our navy being 


326 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


sacrificed to the army.” As the surest way of prevent¬ 
ing such disputes, he suggested that the navy should 
have its own corps of artillery; and a corps of marine 
artillery was accordingly established. 

Instead of lessening the power of the commander. 
Nelson would have wished to see it increased: it was 
absolutely necessary, he thought, that merit should be 
rewarded at the moment, and that the officers of the 
fleet should look up to the commander-in-chief for their 
reward. He himself was never more happy than when 
he could promote those who were deserving of promo¬ 
tion. Many were the services which he thus rendered 
unsolicited; and frequently the officer, in whose behalf 
he had interested himself with the Admiralty, did not 
know to whose friendly interference he was indebted for 
his good fortune.—He used to say, “ I wish it to appear 
as a Grod-send.” The love which he bore the navy 
made him promote the interests and honour the memory 
of all who had added to its glories. “ The near rela¬ 
tions of brother-officers,” he said, ie he considered as 
legacies to the service.” Upon mention being made to 
him of a son of Eodney, by the Duke of Clarence, his 
reply was : “ I agree with your royal highness most 
entirely, that the son of Rodney ought to be the protege 
of every person in the kingdom, and particularly of the 
sea-officers. Had I known that there had been this 
claimant, some of my own lieutenants must have given 
way to such a name, and he should have been placed 
in the Victory —she is full, and I have twenty on my 
list; but, whatever numbers I have, the name of 
Rodney must cut many of them out.” Such was the 
proper sense which Nelson felt of what was due to 


1803. 


THE DESIGNS OF BONAPARTE. 


327 


splendid services and illustrious names. His feeling? 
toward the brave men who had served with him are 
shown by a note in his diary, which was probably not 
intended for any other eye than his own:—“Nov. 7. 
I had the comfort of making an old 6 Agamemnon, 5 
Greorge Jones, a gunner into the Chameleon brig.” 

When Nelson took the command, it was expected 
that the Mediterranean would be an active scene. 
Nelson well understood the character of the perfidious 
Corsican, who was now sole tyrant of France; and 
knowing that he was as ready to attack his friends as 
his enemies, knew, therefore, that nothing could be 
more uncertain than the direction of the fleet from 
Toulon, whenever it should put to sea: — “It had as 
many destinations,” he said, “ as there were countries.” 
The momentous revolutions of the last ten years had 
given him ample matter for reflection, as well as 
opportunities for observation: the film was cleared 
from his eyes; and now, when the French no longer 
went abroad with the cry of liberty and equality, he 
saw that the oppression and misrule of the powers 
which had been opposed to them had been the main 
causes of their success, and that those causes would 
still prepare the way before them. Even in Sicily, 
where, if it had been possible longer to blind himself. 
Nelson would willingly have seen no evil, he perceived 
that the people wished for a change, and acknowledged 
that they had reason to wish for it. In Sardinia, the 
same burden of misgovernment was felt; and the 
people, like the Sicilians, were impoverished by a 
government so utterly incompetent to perform its first 
and most essential duties, that it did not protect it? 


328 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


own coasts from the Barbary pirates. He would fain 
have had us purchase this island (the finest in the 
Mediterranean) from its sovereign, who did not receive 
5000L a-year from it, after its wretched establishment 
was paid. There was reason to think that France was 
preparing to possess herself of this important point, 
which afforded our fleet facilities for watching Toulon 
not to be obtained elsewhere. An expedition was 
preparing at Corsica for the purpose; and all the 
Sardes, who had taken part with revolutionary France, 
were ordered to assemble there. It was certain that 
if the attack were made, it would succeed. Nelson 
thought that the only means to prevent Sardinia from 
becoming French was to make it English, and that 
half a million would give the king a rich price, and 
England a cheap purchase. A better, and therefore 
a wiser, policy would have been to exert our influence 
in removing the abuses of the government; for foreign 
dominion is always, in some degree, an evil; and 
allegiance neither can nor ought to be made a thing of 
bargain and sale. Sardinia, like Sicily and Corsica, is 
large enough to form a separate state. Let us hope 
that these islands may, ere long, be made free and 
independent. Freedom and independence will bring 
with them industry and prosperity; and wherever 
these are found, arts and letters will flourish, and the 
improvement of the human race proceed. 

The proposed attack was postponed. Views of wider 
ambition were opening upon Bonaparte, who now almost 
undisguisedly aspired to make himself master of the 
continent of Europe; and Austria was preparing for 
another struggle, to be conducted as weakly, and ter- 








1803. 


CONDUCT OF SPAIN. 


329 


minated as miserably, as the former. Spain, too, was 
once more to be involved in war by the policy of 
France; that perfidious government having in view the 
double object of employing the Spanish resources against 
England, and exhausting them, in order to render 
Spain herself finally its prey. Nelson, who knew that 
England and the Peninsula ought to be in alliance, for 
the common interest of both, frequently expressed his 
hopes that Spain might resume her natural rank among 
the nations. <c We ought,” he said, “ by mutual 
consent, to be the very best friends, and both to be 
ever hostile to France.” But he saw that Bonaparte 
was meditating the destruction of Spain; and that, 
while the wretched court of Madrid professed to remain 
neutral, the appearances of neutrality were scarcely 
preserved. An order of the year 1771, excluding 
British ships of war from the Spanish ports, was re¬ 
vived, and put in force; while French privateers, from 
these very ports, annoyed the British trade, carried 
their prizes in, and sold them even at Barcelona. 
Nelson complained of this to the captain-general of 
Catalonia, informing him that he claimed, for every 
British ship or squadron, the right of lying, as long as 
it pleased, in the ports of Spain, while that right was 
allowed to other powers. To the British ambassador 
he said : ce I am ready to make large allowances for the 
miserable situation Spain has placed herself in; but 
there is a certain line beyond which I cannot sub¬ 
mit to be treated with disrespect. We have given up 
French vessels taken within gun-shot of the Spanish 
shore, and yet French vessels are permitted to attack 
our ships from the Spanish shore. Your excellency 


330 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


may assure the Spanish government, that in what¬ 
ever place the Spaniards allow the French to attack 
us, in that place I shall order the French to be 
attacked.” 

During this state of things, to which the weakness 
of Spain, and not her will, consented, the enemy’s fleet 
did not venture to put to sea. Nelson watched it with 
unremitting and almost unexampled perseverance. The 
station off Toulon he called his home. “ We are in 
the right fighting trim,” said he; “let them come as 
soon as they please. I never saw a fleet altogether 
so well officered and manned: would to Grod the ships 
were half so good ! The finest ones in the service 
would soon be destroyed by such terrible weather. I 
know well enough, that if I were to go into Malta I 
should save the ships during this bad season; but if I 
am to watch the French, I must be at sea; and if at 
sea, must have bad weather: and if the ships are not 
fit to stand bad weather, they are useless.” Then only 
he was satisfied, and at ease, when he had the enemy in 
view. Mr. Elliot, our minister at Naples, seems, at this 
time, to have proposed to send a confidential French¬ 
man to him with information. “ I should be very 
happy,” he replied, “to receive authentic intelligence 
of the destination of the French squadron, their route, 
and time of sailing. Anything short of this is useless; 
and I assure your excellency, that I would not, upon 
any consideration, have a Frenchman in the fleet, except 
as a prisoner. I put no confidence in them. You 
think yours good; the queen thinks the same: I 
believe they are all alike. Whatever information you 
can get me, I shall be very thankful for; but not a 


\ 803. 


LATOUCHE TREVILLE. 


33 1 


Frenchman comes here. Forgive me, but my mother 
hated the French ! ” 

M. Latouche Treville, who had commanded at 
Boulogne, commanded now at Toulon. “ He was sent 
for on purpose,” said Nelson, “as he beat me at 
Boulogne, to beat me again; but he seems very loth to 
try.” One day, while the main body of our fleet was 
out of sight of land, Bear-Admiral Campbell, recon¬ 
noitring with the Canopus, Donegal, and Amazon, 
stood in close to the port, and M. Latouche, taking 
advantage of a breeze which sprung up, pushed out, 
with four ships of the line, and three heavy frigates, 
and chased him about four leagues. The Frenchman, 
delighted at having found himself in so novel a situa¬ 
tion, published a boastful account; affirming that he 
had given chase to the whole British fleet, and that 
Nelson had fled before him. Nelson thought it due to 
the Admiralty to send home a copy of the Victory' 1 s log 
upon this occasion. “ As for himself,” he said, “ if his 
character was not established by that time for not being 
apt to run away, it was not worth his while to put the 
world right.” “ If this fleet gets fairly up with M. 
Latouche,” said he to one of his correspondents, “ his 
letter, with all his ingenuity, must be different from his 
last. We had fancied that we chased him into Toulon ; 
for, blind as I am, I could see his water-line, when he 
clued his topsails up, shutting in Sepet. But, from the 
time of his meeting Captain Hawker in the Isis, I never 
heard of his acting otherwise than as a poltroon and a 
liar. Contempt is the best mode of treating such a 
miscreant.” In spite, however, of contempt, the im 
pudence of this Frenchman half-angered him. He said 


332 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803. 


to his brother : “ You will have seen Latouche’s letter ; 
how he chased me, and how I ran. I keep it; and if 
I take him, by (rod he shall eat it! ” 

Nelson, who used to say, that in sea affairs nothing 
is impossible, and nothing improbable, feared the more 
that this Frenchman might get out and elude his 
vigilance; because he was so especially desirous of 
catching him, and administering to him his own lying 
letter in a sandwich. M. Latouche, however, escaped 
him in another way. He died, according to the French 
papers, in consequence of walking so often up to the 
signal post upon Sepet, to watch the British fleet. “ I 
always pronounced that would be his death,” said Nel¬ 
son. “ If he had come out and fought me, it would, 
at least, have added ten years to my life.” The pa¬ 
tience with which he had watched Toulon he spoke of, 
truly, as a perseverance at sea which had never been 
surpassed. From May, 1803, to August, 1805, he 
himself went out of his ship but three times; each of 
those times was upon the king’s service, and neither 
time of absence exceeded an hour. The weather had 
been so unusually severe, that, he said, the Mediter¬ 
ranean seemed altered. It was his rule never to con¬ 
tend with the gales; but either run to the southward, 
to escape their violence, or furl all the sails, and 
make the ships as easy as possible. The men, though 
he said flesh and blood could hardly stand it, continued 
in excellent health, which he ascribed, in great measure, 
to a plentiful supply of lemons and onions. For him¬ 
self, he thought he could only last till the battle was 
ever. One battle more it was his hope that he might 
fight. “ However,” said he, “ whatever happens I 





1803. 


WAR WITH SPAIN. 


333 


have run a glorious race.” He was afraid of blindness: 
and this was the only evil which he could not con¬ 
template ■ without unhappiness. More alarming symp¬ 
toms he regarded with less apprehension; describing hia 
own (t shattered carcass ” as in the worst plight of any 
in the fleet; and he says: “ I have felt the blood 
gushing up the left side of my head : and, the moment 
it covers the brain, I am fast asleep.” The fleet was in 
worse trim than the men : but when he compared it 
with the enemy’s, it was with a right English feeling. 
“ The French fleet, yesterday,” said he, in one of his 
letters, “ was to appearance in high feather, and as fine 
as paint could make them; but when they may sail, or 
where they may go, I am very sorry to say is a secret I 
am not acquainted with. Our weather-beaten ships, 
I have no fear, will make their sides like a plum- 
pudding.” 

Hostilities at length commenced between Great 
Britain and Spain. That country, whose miserable 
government made her subservient to France, was once 
more destined to lavish her resources and her blood in 
furtherance of the designs of a perfidious ally. The 
immediate occasion of the war was the seizure of four 
treasure-ships by the English. The act was perfectly 
justifiable ; for those treasures were intended to furnish 
means for France; but the circumstances which at¬ 
tended it were as unhappy as they were unforeseen. 
Four frigates had been despatched to intercept them. 
They met with an equal force. Resistance, therefore, 
became a point of honour on the part of the Spaniards, 
and one of their ships soon blew up with all on board. 
Had a stronger squadron been sent, this deplorable 


334 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1804. 


catastrophe might have been spared — a catastrophe 
which excited not more indignation in Spain, than it 
did grief in those who were its unwilling instruments, in 
the English government and in the English people. 
On the 5th of October this unhappy affair occurred, and 
Nelson was not apprised of it till the 12th of the ensuing 
month. He had, indeed, sufficient mortification at the 
breaking out of this Spanish war; an event which, it 
might reasonably have been supposed, would amply en¬ 
rich the officers of the Mediterranean fleet, and repay 
them for the severe and unremitting dut} 7 on which they 
had been so long employed. But of this harvest they 
were deprived ; for Sir John Orde was sent with a small 
squadron, and a separate command, to Cadiz. Nelson’s 
feelings were never wounded so deeply as now. “ I 
had thought,” said he, writing in the first flow and 
freshness of indignation: “ I fancied — but, nay; it 
must have been a dream, an idle dream—yet, I con¬ 
fess it, I did fancy that I had done my country service; 
and thus they use me! And under what circumstances, 
and with what pointed aggravation ! Yet, if I know 
my own thoughts, it is not for myself, or on my own 
account chiefly, that I feel the sting and the disappoint¬ 
ment. No ! it is for my brave officers; for my noble- 
minded friends and comrades. Such a gallant set of 
fellows ! Such a band of brothers! My heart swells 
at the thought of them ! ” 

War between Spain and England was now declared ; 
and, on the 18th of January, the Toulon fleet, having 
the Spaniards to co-operate with them, put to sea. 
Nelson was at anchor off the coast of Sardinia, where 
the Madelena islands form one of the finest harbour 




1805. 


SEARCH FOR VILLENEUVE’s FLEET. 


335 


in the world, when, at three in the afternoon of the 
19th, the Active and Seahorse frigates brought this 
long-hoped-for intelligence. They had been close to 
the enemy at ten on the preceding night, hut lost sight 
of them in about four hours. The fleet immediately 
unmoored and weighed, and at six in the evening ran 
through the strait between Biche and Sardinia; a pass¬ 
age so narrow, that the ships could only pass one at a 
time, each following the stern lights of its leader. From 
the position of the enemy, when they were last seen, 
it was inferred that they must be bound round the 
southern end of Sardinia. Signal was made the next 
morning to prepare for battle. Bad weather came on, 
baffling the one fleet in its object, and the other in its 
pursuit. Nelson beat about the Sicilian seas for ten 
days, without obtaining any other information of the 
enemy, than that one of their ships had put into 
Ajaccio dismasted; and having seen that Sardinia, 
Naples, and Sicily, were safe, believing Egypt to be 
their destination, for Egypt he ran. The disappoint¬ 
ment and distress which he had experienced in his for¬ 
mer pursuits of the French through the same seas were 
now renewed; but Nelson, while he endured these 
anxious and unhappy feelings, was still consoled by 
the same confidence as on the former occasion—that, 
though his judgment might be erroneous, under all 
circumstances he was right in having formed it. “ I 
have consulted no man,” said he to the Admiralty: 
“ therefore the whole blame of ignorance in forming 
my judgment must rest with me. I would allow no 
man to take from me an atom of my glory, had I fallen 
in with the French fleet; nor do I desire any man to 


336 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 


partake any of the responsibility. All is mine, right or 
wrong.” Then stating the grounds upon which he had 
proceeded, he added : “ At this moment of sorrow, I 
still ffel that I have acted right.” In the same spirit 
he said to Sir Alexander Ball: “ When I call to re¬ 
membrance all the circumstances, I approve, if nobody 
else does, of mv own conduct.” 

Baffled thus, he bore up for Malta, and met intelli¬ 
gence from Naples that the French, having been dis¬ 
persed in a gale, had put back to Toulon. From the 
same quarter he learned that a great number of saddles 
and muskets had been embarked : and this confirmed 
him in his opinion that Egypt was their destination. 
That they should have put back in consequence of 
storms which he had weathered, gave him a consoling 
sense of British superiority. <f These gentlemen,” said 
he, “ are not accustomed to a Grulf of Lyons’ gale; we 
have buffeted them for one-and-twenty months, and 
not carried away a spar.” He, however, who had so 
often braved these gales, was now, though not mastered 
by them, vexatiously thwarted and impeded; and, on 
February 27, he was compelled to anchor in Pulla Bay, 
in the Grulf of Cagliari. From the 21st of January, the 
fleet had remained ready for battle, without a bulkhead 
up, night or day. He anchored here that he might 
not be driven to leeward. As soon as the weather 
moderated he put to sea again; and, after again beat¬ 
ing about against contrary winds, another gale drove 
him to anchor in the Grulf of Palma, on the 8th of 
March. This he made his rendezvous; he knew that 
the French troops still remained embarked, and, wish¬ 
ing to lead them into a belief that he was stationed 


180ii. 


SEARCH FOR VILLENEUVE'S FLEET. 


337 


upon the Spanish coast, he made his appearance off 
Barcelona with that intent. About the end of the 
month, he began to fear that the plan of the expedition 
was abandoned; and, sailing once more towards his old 
station off Toulon, on the 4th of April, he met the 
Phoebe , with news that Villeneuve had put to sea on the 
last of March with eleven ships of the line, seven 
frigates, and two brigs. When last seen, they were 
steering toward the coast of Africa. Nelson first 
covered the channel between Sardinia and Barbary, so 
as to satisfy himself that Villeneuve was not taking the 
same route for Egypt which Gantheaume had taken 
before him, when he attempted to carry reinforcements 
there. Certain of this, he bore up on the 7th for 
Palermo, lest the French should pass to the north of 
Corsica, and he despatched cruisers in all directions. 
On the 11th, he felt assured that they were not gone 
down the Mediterranean; and sending off frigates to 
Gibraltar, to Lisbon, and to Admiral Cornwallis, who 
commanded the squadron off Brest, he endeavoured to 
get to the westward, beating against westerly winds. 
After five days, a neutral gave intelligence that the 
French had been seen off Cape de Gatte on the 7th. It 
was soon after ascertained that they had passed 
the Straits of Gibraltar on the day following; and Nel¬ 
son, knowing that they might already be half-way to 
Ireland, or to Jamaica, exclaimed, that he was miser¬ 
able. One gleam of comfort only came across him in 
the reflection, that his vigilance had rendered it im¬ 
possible for them to undertake any expedition in the 
Mediterranean. 

Eight days after this certain intelligence had been 

z 


338 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


obtained, be described his state of mind thus forcibly, 
in writing to the governor of Malta : “ My good for¬ 
tune, my dear Ball, seems flown away. I cannot get a 
fair wind, or even a side wind. Dead foul ! Dead 
foul! But my mind is fully made up what to do when 
I leave the Straits, supposing there is no certain account 
of the enemy’s destination. I believe this ill-luck will 
go near to kill me; but, as these are times for exertion, 
I must not be cast down, whatever I may feel.” In 
spite of every exertion which could be made by all the 
zeal and all the skill of British seamen, he did not get 
in sight of Gibraltar till the 30th of April; and the 
wind was then so adverse, that it was impossible to pass 
the Gut. He anchored in Mazari Bay, on the Barbary 
shore; obtained supplies from Tetuan; and when, on 
the 5th, a breeze from the eastward sprang up at last, 
sailed once more, hoping to hear of the enemy from Sir 
John Orde, who commanded off Cadiz, or from Lisbon. 
“If nothing is heard of them,” said he to the Admiralty, 
“ I shall probably think the rumours which have been 
spread are true, that their object is the West Indies; 
and, in that case, I think it my duty to follow them ; 
or to the Antipodes, should I believe that to be their 
destination.” At the time when this resolution was 
taken, the physician of the fleet had ordered him to 
return to England before the hot months. 

Nelson had formed his judgment of their destina¬ 
tion, and made up his mind accordingly, when Donald 
Campbell, at that time an admiral in the Portuguese 
service, the same person who had given important 
tidings to Earl St. Vincent of the movements of that 
fleet from which he won his title, a second time oravo 


*805. 


SEARCH FOR YILLENEUYE'S FLEET. 


339 


timely and momentous intelligence to the flag of his 
country. He went on board the Victory, and commu¬ 
nicated to Nelson his certain knowledge that the com¬ 
bined Spanish and French fleets were bound for the 
West Indies. Hitherto all things had favoured the 
enemy. While the British commander was beating up 
against strong southerly and westerly gales, they had 
wind to their wish from the N.E., and had done in nine 
days what he was a whole month in accomplishing. 
Villeneuve, finding the Spaniards at Carthagena were 
not in a state of equipment to join him, dared not wait, 
but hastened on to Cadiz. Sir John Orde necessarily 
retired at his approach. Admiral Grravina, with six 
Spanish ships of the line, and two French, came out to 
him, and they sailed without a moment’s loss of time. 
They had about three thousand French troops on board, 
and fifteen hundred Spanish: six hundred were under 
orders, expecting them at Martinique, and one thousand 
at Gruadalope. General Lauriston commanded the 
troops. The combined fleet now consisted of eighteen 
sail of the line, six forty-four gun frigates, one of 
twenty-six guns, three corvettes, and a brig. They 
were joined afterwards by two new French line-of-battle 
ships, and one forty-four. Nelson pursued them with 
ten sail of the line and three frigates. “ Take you a 
Frenchman a-piece,” said he to his captains, “ and 
leave me the Spaniards ; when I haul down my colours, 
I expect you to do the same; and not till then.” 

The enemy had five-and-thirty days’ start; but he 
calculated that he should gain eight or ten days upon 
them by his exertions. May 15th he made Madeira, 
and on June 4th reached Barbadoes, whither he had 


340 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


sent despatches before him; and where he found Admiral 
Cochrane, with two ships, part of our squadron in those 
seas being at Jamaica. He found here also accounts 
that the combined fleets had been seen from St. Lucia 
on the 28th, standing to the southward, and that Tobago 
and Trinidad were their objects. This Nelson doubted ; 
but he was alone in his opinion, and yielded it with 
these foreboding words—“ If your intelligence proves 
false, you lose me the French fleet.” Sir William 
Myers offered to embark here with two thousand 
troops: — they were taken on board, and the next 
morning he sailed for Tobago. Here accident confirmed 
the false intelligence which had, whether from intention 
or error, misled him. A merchant at Tobago, in the 
general alarm, not knowing whether this fleet was friend 
or foe, sent out a schooner to reconnoitre, and acquaint 
him by signal. The signal which he had chosen hap¬ 
pened to be the very one which had been' appointed by 
Colonel Shipley of the engineers to signify that the 
enemy were at Trinidad; and as this was at the close 
of day, there was no opportunity of discovering the mis¬ 
take. An American brig was met with about the same 
time ; the master of which, with that propensity to de¬ 
ceive the English and assist the French in any manner, 
which has been but too common among his countrymen, 
affirmed, that he had been boarded off Granada a few 
days before by the French, who were standing towards 
the Bocas of Trinidad. This fresh intelligence removed 
all doubts. The ships were cleared for action before 
daylight, and Nelson entered the Bay of Paria on the 
7th, hoping and expecting to make the mouths of the 
Orinoco as famous in the annals of the British navy as 



1805. 


SEARCH FOR VILLENEUVe’s FLEET. 


341 


those of the Nile. Not an enemy was there; and it 
was discovered that accident and artifice had combined 
to lead him so far to leeward, that there could have been 
little hope of fetching to windward of Granada for 
any other fleet. Nelson, however, with skill and exer¬ 
tions never exceeded, and almost unexampled, bore for 
that island. 

Advices met him on the way, that the combined 
fleets, having captured the Diamond Rock, were then at 
Martinique, on the 4th, and were expected to sail that 
night for the attack of Granada. On the 9th, Nelson 
arrived off that island, and there learned that they had 
passed to leeward of Antigua the preceding day, and 
taken a homeward-bound convoy. Had it not been for 
false information, upon which Nelson had acted reluc¬ 
tantly, and in opposition to his own judgment, he would 
have been off Port Royal just as they were leaving it, 
and the battle would have been fought on the spot where 
Rodney defeated De Grasse. This he remembered in 
his vexation; but he had saved the colonies and above two 
hundred ships laden for Europe, which would else have 
fallen into the enemy’s hands; and he had the satisfaction 
of knowing that the mere terror of his name had effected 
this, and had put to flight the allied enemies, whose force 
nearly doubled that before which they fled. That they 
were flying back to Europe he believed, and for Europe 
he steered in pursuit on the 13th, having disembarked 
the troops at Antigua, and taking with him the Spar - 
tiate , 74 : the only addition to the squadron with which 
he was pursuing so superior a force. Five days afterwards 
the Amazon brought intelligence, that she had spoke a 
schooner who had seen them, on the evening of the 15th, 


342 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


steering to the north; and, by computation, eighty-seven 
leagues off. Nelson’s diary at this time denotes his great 
anxiety, and his perpetual and all-observing vigilance. 
“ June 21, Midnight.—Nearly calm; saw three planks 
which I think came from the French fleet. Very 
miserable, which is very foolish.” On the 17th of July, 
he came in sight of Cape St. Vincent, and steered for 





Gibraltar. “ June 18th,” his diary says, “ Cape Spartel 
in sight, but no French fleet, nor any information about 
them. How sorrowful this makes me! but I cannot 
help myself.” The next day he anchored at Gibraltar, 
and on the 20th, says he, “ I went on shore for the first 
time since June 16th, 1803; and from having my foot 
out of the Victory , two years, wanting ten days.” 

Here he communicated with his old friend Colling- 


THE ENGLISH SQUADRON BEFORE GIBRALTAR. 


• V 




















1805 . 


SEARCH FOR VILLENEUVE’S FLEET. 


343 


wood, who, having been detached with a squadron, 
when the disappearance of the combined fleets, and of 
Nelson in their pursuit, was known in England, had 
taken his station off Cadiz. He thought that Ireland 
was the enemy’s ultimate object; that they would now 
liberate the Ferrol squadron, which was blocked up by 
Sir Robert Calder, call for the Rochefort ships, and 
then appear off Ushant with three or four and thirty 
sail; there to be joined by the Brest fleet. With this 
great force he supposed they would make for Ireland — 
the real mark and bent of all their operations; and 
their flight to the West Indies, he thought, had been 
merely undertaken to take off Nelson’s force, which was 
the great impediment to their undertaking. 

Collingwood was gifted with great political penetra¬ 
tion. As yet, however, all was conjecture concerning 
the enemy; and Nelson, having victualled and watered 
at Tetuan, stood for Ceuta on the 24th, still without 
information of their course. Next day intelligence 
arrived that the Gurieux brig had seen them on the 
19th, standing to the northward. He proceeded off 
Cape St. Vincent, rather cruising for intelligence, than 
knowing whither to betake himself; and here a case 
occurred that, more than any other event in real his¬ 
tory, resembles those whimsical proofs of sagacity which 
Voltaire, in his <tf Zadig,” has borrowed from the Orien¬ 
tals. One of our frigates spoke an American who, a 
little to the westward of the Azores, had fallen in with 
an armed vessel, appearing to be a dismasted privateer, 
deserted by her crew, which had been run on board by 
another ship, and had been set fire to ; but the fire had 
gone out. A log-book, and a few seamen’s jackets, 


344 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 


were found in the cabin; and these were brought to 
Nelson. The log-book closed with these words : “ Two 
large vessels in the W.N.W.and this led him to 
conclude that the vessel had been an English privateer, 
cruising off the Western Islands. But there was in 
this book a scrap of dirty paper, filled with figures. 
Nelson, immediately upon seeing it, observed that the 
figures were written by a Frenchman : and, after study¬ 
ing this for awhile, said: “ I can explain the whole. 
The jackets are of French manufacture, and prove that 
the privateer was in possession of the enemy. She had 
been chased and taken by the two ships that were seen 
in the W.N.W. The prize-master, going on board in 
a hurry, forgot to take with him his reckoning; there 
is none in the log-book; and the dirty paper contains 
her work for the number of days since the privateer 
last left Corvo: with an unaccounted-for run, which I 
take to have been the chase, in his endeavour to find 
out her situation by back-reckonings. By some mis¬ 
management, I conclude, she was run on board of by 
one of the enemy’s ships, and dismasted. Not liking 
delay (for I am satisfied that those two ships were the 
advanced ones of the French squadron), and fancying 
we were close at their heels, they set fire to the vessel, 
and abandoned her in a hurry. If this explanation be 
correct, I infer from it, that they are gone more to the 
northward, and more to the northward I will look for 
them.” This course accordingly he held, but still with¬ 
out success. Still persevering, and still disappointed, 
he returned near enough to Cadiz to ascertain that they 
were not there; traversed the Bay of Biscay; and then, 
as a last hope, stood over for the north-west coast of 





1805 . 


IS ORDERED TO PORTSMOUTH. 


345 


Ireland, against adverse winds; till, on the evening of 
the 12th of August, he learned that they had not been 
heard of there. Frustrated thus in all his hopes, after 
a pursuit to which, for its extent, rapidity, and perse¬ 
verance, no parallel can be produced, he judged it best 
to reinforce the channel fleet with his squadron, lest the 
enemy, as Collingwood apprehended, should bear down 
upon Brest with their whole collected force. On the 
15th, he joined Admiral Cornwallis off Ushant. No 
news had yet been obtained of the enemy; and, on the 
same evening, he received orders to proceed, with the 
Victory and Superb , to Portsmouth. 





















CONTENTS OF CHAPTER IX. 

Sir Robert Calder’s Action—Villeneuve’s Fleet gets into Cadis 
—General Approval of Nelson’s Conduct—His Life at Merton— 
His Anxiety regarding the Combined Fleets—Offers his Services, 
and is Re-appointed to the Command in the Mediterranean— 
His Departure from Portsmouth—Popular Demonstrations of 
Attachment to him—Arrives off Cadiz—Reception of him by 
the Fleet—Villeneuve puts to Sea—Nelson’s Plan of Attack— 
His Last Appeal on behalf of Lady Hamilton—Judicious Dis< 
positions of Villeneuve—Nelson’s celebrated Signal—Battle of 
Trafalgar—Breaking the Enemy’s Line—Nelson receives his 
Death Wound—His Last Moments—Capture of the Redoubtable, 
from which the fatal Shot was fired—Results of the Battle— 
Honours conferred on Nelson’s Memory—Conclusion. 


t 
















I 







NELSON AND LADY HAMILTON AT MERTON. 


CHAPTER IX. 

At Portsmouth, Nelson at length found news of the 
combined fleets. Sir Robert Calder, who had been sent 
out to intercept their return, had fallen in with them 
on the 22d of July, sixty leagues west of Cape Fin- 
isterre. Their force consisted of ‘twenty sail of the 
line, three fifty-gun ships, five frigates, and two brigs; 
his, of fifteen line-of-battle ships, two frigates, a cutter, 
and a lugger. After an action of four hours he nad 















J50 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1803 . 


captured an eighty-four and a seventy-four, and then 
thought it necessary to bring-to the squadron, for the 
purpose of securing their prizes. The hostile fleets 
remained in sight of each other till the 26th, when the 
enemy bore away. The capture of two ships from so 
superior a force, would have been considered as no 
inconsiderable victory a few years earlier; but Nelson 
had introduced a new era in our naval history; and the 
nation felt, respecting this action, as he had felt on a 
somewhat similar occasion. They regretted that Nelson, 
with his eleven ships, had not been in Sir Robert 
Calder’s place; and their disappointment was generally 
and loudly expressed. 

Frustrated as his own hopes had been. Nelson had 
yet the high satisfaction of knowing that his judgment 
had never been more conspicuously approved, and that 
he had rendered essential service to his country, by 
driving the enemy from those islands, where they 
expected there could be no force capable of opposing 
them. The West India merchants in London, as men 
whose interests were more immediately benefited, ap¬ 
pointed a deputation to express their thanks for his 
great and judicious exertions. It was now his intention 
to rest awhile from his labours, and recruit himself, 
after all his fatigues and cares, in the society of those 
whom he loved. All his stores were brought up from 
the Victory, and he found in his house at Merton the 
enjoyment which he had anticipated. Many days had 
not elapsed before Captain Blackwood, on his way to 
London with despatches, called on him at five in the 
morning. Nelson, who was already dressed, exclaimed, 
the moment he saw him: (i I am sure you bring me 




1805 . 


HIS UNEASINESS WHEN INACTIVE. 


351 


news of the French and Spanish fleets! I think I 
shall yet have to beat them! ” Thfey had refitted at 
Vigo, after the indecisive action with Sir Robert 
Calder; then proceeded to Ferrol, brought out the 
squadron from thence, and with it entered Ca&z in 
safety! “Depend on it, Blackwood,” he repeatedly 
said, “ I shall yet give M. Villeneuve a drubbing.” 
But, when Blackwood had left him, he wanted reso¬ 
lution to declare his wishes to Lady Hamilton and his 
sisters, and endeavoured to drive away the thought. 
He had done enough, he said: “ Let the man trudge it 
who has lost his budget! ” His countenance belied his 
lips : and as he was pacing one of the walks in the 
garden, which he used to call the quarter-deck. Lady 
Hamilton came up to him, and said she saw he was 
uneasy. He smiled, and said : “ No, he was as happy 
as possible; he was surrounded by his family, his health 
was better since he had been on shore, and he would 
not give sixpence to call the king his uncle.” She 
replied, that she did not believe him, that she knew he 
was longing to get at the combined fleets, that he con¬ 
sidered them as his own property, that he would be 
miserable if any man but himself did the business, 
and that he ought to have them, as the price and 
reward of his two years’ long watching, and his hard 
chase. “Nelson,” said she, “however we may lament 
your absence, offer your services; they will be accepted, 
and you will gain a quiet heart by it; you will have a 
glorious victory, and then you may return here* and be 
happy.” He looked at her with tears in his eyes: 
“Brave Emma! (rood Emma! If there were more 
Emmas, there would be more Nelsons.” 


352 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 


His services were as willingly accepted as they were 
offered; and Lord Barham, giving him the list of the 
navy, desired him to choose his own officers. “ Choose 
yourself, my lord,” was his reply: fC the same spirit 
actuates the whole profession; you cannot choose wrong.” 
Lord Barham then desired him to say what ships, and 
how many, he would wish in addition to the fleet 
which he was going to command, and said they should 
follow him as soon as each was ready. No appointment 
was ever more in unison with the feelings and judg¬ 
ment of the whole nation. They, like Lady Hamilton, 
thought that the destruction of the combined fleets 
ought properly to be Nelson’s work; that he, who had 
been 

“ Half around the sea-girt ball, 

The hunter of the recreant Gaul,”* 

ought to reap the spoils of the chase, which he had 
watched so long, and so perseveringly pursued. 

Unremitting exertions were made to equip the 
ships which he had chosen, and especially to refit the 
Victory, which was once more to bear his flag. Before 
be left London, he called at his upholsterer’s, where 
the coffin which Captain Hallowed had given him was 
deposited, and desired that his history might be en¬ 
graven upon the lid, saying, it was highly probable he 
might want it on his return. He seemed, indeed, to 
nave been impressed with an expectation that he should 
fall in the battle. In a letter to his brother, written 
immediately after his return, he had said: “ We must 
not talk of Sir Robert Calder’s battle. I might not 

* Songs of Trafalgar. 




































































1805, 


HIS POPULARITY. 


353 


have done so much with my small force. If I had 
fallen in with them, you might probably have been a 
lord before I wished; for I know they meant to make 
a dead set at the Victory .” Nelson had once regarded 
the prospect of death with gloomy satisfaction. it was 
when he anticipated the upbraidings of his wife, and 
the displeasure of his venerable father. The state of 
his feelings now was expressed, in his private journal, 
in these words: “ Friday night (Sept. 13th) at half¬ 
past ten, I drove from dear, dear Merton; where I left 
all which I hold dear in this world, to go to serve my 
king and country. May the great Grod, whom I adore, 
enable me to fulfil the expectations of my country! 
And, if it is His good pleasure that I should return, my 
thanks will never cease being offered up to the throne 
of His mercy. If it is His good providence to cut 
short my days upon earth, I bow with the greatest 
submission; relying that He will protect those so dear 
to me, whom I may leave behind! His will be done. 
Amen! Amen ! Amen! ” 

Early on the following morning he reached Ports¬ 
mouth ; and, having despatched his business on shore, 
endeavoured to elude the populace by taking a bye-way 
to the beach; but a crowd collected in his train, press¬ 
ing forward to obtain sight of his face : many were in 
tears, and many knelt down before him, and blessed 
him as he passed. England has had many heroes, but 
never one who so entirely possessed the love of his 
fellow-countrymen as Nelson. All men knew that his 
heart was as humane as it was fearless ; that there was 
not in his nature the slightest alloy of selfishness or 
cupidity; but that, with perfect and entire devotion, he 

A A 


354 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 



ground, were wedged among the crowd ; and an officer, 
who, not very prudently upon such an occasion, ordered 
them to drive the people down with their bayonets, was 
compelled speedily to retreat; for the people would not 
be debarred from gazing, till the last moment, upon the 
hero—the darling hero—of England ! 

He arrived off Cadiz on the 29th of September— 
his birth-day. Fearing that, if the enemy knew his 


served his country with all his heart, and with all his 
soul, and with all his strength; and, therefore, they 
loved him as truly and as fervently as he loved Eng¬ 
land. They pressed upon the parapet, to gaze after 
him when his barge pushed off, and he was returning 
their cheers by waving his hat. The sentinels, who 
endeavoured to prevent them from trespassing upon this 


NELSON’S DEPARTURE FROM PORTSMOUTH, 














1805. HIS APPOINTMENT UNKNOWN TO THE FEENCH. 


355 


force* they might be deterred from venturing to sea, he 
kept out of sight of land, desired Collingwood to fire no 
salute, and hoist no colours; and wrote to Gibraltar, to 
request that the force of the fleet might not be inserted 
there in the “ Gazette.” His reception in the Mediter¬ 
ranean fleet was as gratifying as the farewell of his 
countrymen at Portsmouth: the officers, who came on 
board to welcome him, forgot his rank as commander, 
in their joy at seeing him again. On the day of his 
arrival, Villeneuve received orders to put to sea the first 
opportunity. Villeneuve, however, hesitated, when he 
heard that Nelson had resumed the command. He 
called a council of war; and their determination was, 
that it would not be expedient to leave Cadiz, unless 
they had reason to believe themselves stronger by one- 
third than the British force. In the public measures 
of this country, secresy is seldom practicable, and seldom 
attempted: here, however, by the precautions of Nelson, 
and the wise measures of the Admiralty, the enemy 
were for once kept in ignorance; for, as the ships 
appointed to reinforce the Mediterranean fleet were 
despatched singly, each as soon as it was ready, their 
collected number was not stated in the newspapers, and 
their arrival was not known to the enemy. But the 
enemy knew that Admiral Louis, with six sail, had been 
detached for stores and water to Gibraltar. Accident 
also contributed to make the French admiral doubt 
whether Nelson himself had actually taken the com¬ 
mand. An American, lately arrived from England, 
maintained that it was impossible—for he had seen 
him only a few days before in London; and, at that 
time, there was no rumour of his going again to sea. 



356 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


The station which Nelson had chosen was some fifty 
or sixty miles to the west of Cadiz, near Cape St. Mary’s. 
At this distance he hoped to decoy the enemy out, while 
he guarded against the danger of being caught with a 
westerly wind near Cadiz, and driven within the Straits. 
The blockade of the port was rigorously enforced, in 
hopes that the combined fleet might be forced to sea 
by want. The Danish vessels, therefore, which were 
carrying provisions from the French ports in the bay, 
under the name of Danish property, to all the little 
ports from Ayamonte to Algeziras, from whence they 
were conveyed in coasting boats to Cadiz, were seized. 
Without this proper exertion of power, the blockade 
would have been rendered nugatory, by the advantage 
thus taken of the neutral flag. The supplies from 
France were thus effectually cut off. There was now 
every indication that the enemy would speedily venture 
out: officers and men were in the highest spirits at the 
prospect of giving them a decisive blow; such, indeed, 
as would put an end to all further contest upon the 
seas. Theatrical amusements were performed every 
evening in most of the ships :* and “ Grod Save the King” 
was the hymn with which the sports concluded. “1 
verily believe,” said Nelson, writing on the 6th of 

* That some of these performances would have done no discredit 
to the regular stage, may be inferred from the following spirited pass¬ 
age in an original Prologue delivered during this blockade of Cadiz, 
on hoard the Britannia , Lord Northesk, who was present:— 

“Yes, he foresees — confirm his prospects, Heaven ! — 

Yon cooped-up boasters to your wishes given; 

Sees their proud ensigns from their standards torn, 

Their vanquish’d navies in our triumph borne; 


1805. 


HIS ANXIETY FOR WANT OF FRIGATES. 


357 


October, “that the country will soon be put to some 
expense on my account; either a monument, or a new 
pension and honours ; for I have not the smallest doubt 
but that a very few days, almost hours, will put us in 
battle. The success no man can insure; but for the 
fighting them, if they can be got at, I pledge myself. 
The sooner the better: I don’t like to have these things 
upon my mind.” 

At this time he was not without some cause of 
anxiety; he was in want of frigates—the eyes of the 
fleet, as he always called them: to the want of which 
the enemy before were indebted for their escape, and 
Bonaparte for his arrival in Egypt. He had only 
twenty-three ships—others were on the way—but 
they might come too late; and, though Nelson never 
doubted of victory, mere victory was not what he looked 
to, he wanted to annihilate the enemy’s fleet. The 
Carthagena squadron might effect a junction with this 
fleet on the one side; and, on the other, it was to be 
expected that a similar attempt would be made by the 
French from Brest; in either case a formidable con¬ 
tingency to be apprehended by the blockading force. 
The Rochefort squadron did push out, and had nearly 
caught the Agamemnon and UAimable in their way to 
reinforce the British admiral. Yet Nelson at this time 


Sees added laurels grace our Nelson’s brow, 

And victory hovering o’er his glowing prow, 

His conquering banners o’er the waves unfurl’d, 
And Britain’s thunder rule the watery world ! 

If aught of prescience to the Muse belong, 

Soon, soon the scenes that animate her song 
In glowing colours shall salute your eyes, 

And Heaven shall bid t/i’ auspicious morn arise.” 


{.58 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 . 


weakened his own fleet. He had the unpleasant task 
to perform of sending home Sir Robert Calder, whose 
conduct was to he made the subject of .a court-martial, 
in consequence of the general dissatisfaction which had 
been felt and expressed at his imperfect victory. Sir 
Robert Calder, and Sir John Orde, Nelson believed to 
he the only two enemies whom he had ever had in his 
profession ; and, from that sensitive delicacy which dis¬ 
tinguished him, this made him the more scrupulously 
anxious to show every possible mark of respect and 
kindness to Sir Robert. He wished to detain him till 
after the expected action; when the services which he 
might perform, and the triumphant joy which would 
be excited, would leave nothing to be apprehended from 
an inquiry into the previous engagement. Sir Robert, 
however, whose situation was very painful, did not 
choose to delay a trial, from the result of w T hich he 
confidently expected a complete justification : and Nel¬ 
son, instead of sending him home in a frigate, insisted 
on his returning in his own ninety-gun ship ; ill as such 
a ship could at that time be spared. Nothing could be 
more honourable than the feeling by which Nelson was 
influenced; but, at such a crisis, it ought not to have 
been indulged. 

On the 9th, Nelson sent Collingiyood what he called, 
in his diary, the Nelson-touch. “ I send you,” said he, 
“ my plan of attack, as far as a man dare venture to 
guess at the very uncertain position the enemy may 
be found in : but it is to place you perfectly at ease 
respecting my intentions, and to give full scope to your 
judgment for carrying them into effect. We can, my 
dear Coll., have no little jealousies. We have only one 


1805 . 


HIS PLAN FOR ATTACKING THE ENEMY. 


359 


great object in view, that of annihilating our enemies, 
and getting a glorious peace for our country. No man 
has more confidence in another than I have in you; 
and no man will render your services more justice than 
your very old friend—Nelson and Bronte.” The order 
of sailing was to be the order of battle ; the fleet in two 
lines, with an advanced squadron of eight of the fastest- 
sailing two-deckers. The second in command, having 
the entire direction of his line, was to break through 
the enemy, about the twelfth ship from their rear: he 
would lead through the centre, and the advanced 
squadron was to cut off three or four ahead of the 
centre. This plan was to be adapted to the strength 
of the enemy, so that they should always be one-fourth 
superior to those whom they cut off. Nelson said, 
“ That his admirals and captains, knowing his precise 
object to be that of a close and decisive action, would 
supply any deficiency of signals, and act accordingly. 
In case signals cannot be seen or clearly understood, no 
captain can do wrong if he places his ship alongside 
that of an enemy.” One of the last orders of this 
admirable man was, that the name and family of every 
officer, seaman, and marine, who might be killed or 
wounded in action, should be, as soon as possible, re¬ 
turned to him, in order to be transmitted to the chair¬ 
man of the patriotic fund, that the case might be taken 
into consideration, for the benefit of the sufferer or his 
family. 

About half-past nine in the morning of the 19th, 
the Mars , being the nearest to the fleet of the ships 
which formed the line of communication with the 
frigates in-shore, repeated the signal, that the enemy 


S60 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


were coming out of port. The wind was at this time 
very light, with partial breezes, mostly from the S.S.W. 
Nelson ordered the signal to be made for a chase in the 
south-east quarter. About two, the repeating-ships 
announced that the enemy were at sea. All night the 
British fleet continued under all sail, steering to the 
south-east. At daybreak they were in the entrance of 
the Straits, but the enemy were not in sight. About 
seven, one of the frigates made signal that the enemy 
were bearing north. Upon this the Victory hove-to ; 
and shortly afterwards Nelson made sail again to the 
northward. In the afternoon the wind blew fresh from 
the south-west, and the English began to fear that the 
foe might be forced to return to port. A little before 
sunset, however, Blackwood, in the Euryalus , tele¬ 
graphed that they appeared determined to go to the 
westward. “ And that,” said the admiral in his diary, 
“ they shall not do, if it is in the power of Nelson and 
Bronte to prevent them.” Nelson had signified to 
Blackwood that he depended upon him to keep sight of 
the enemy. They were observed so well, that all their 
motions were made known to him; and, as they wore 
twice, he inferred that they were aiming to keep the 
port of Cadiz open, and would retreat there as soon as 
they saw the British fleet; for this reason he was very 
careful not to approach near enough to be seen by them 
during the night. At daybreak the. combined fleets 
were distinctly seen from the Victory's deck, formed in 
a close line of battle ahead, on the starboard tack, 
about twelve miles to leeward, and standing to the 
south. Our fleet consisted of twenty-seven sail of the 
line and four frigates ; theirs of thirty-three and seven 


1805. 


THE ENGLISH FLEET SETS SAIL. 


361 


large frigates. Their superiority was greater in size 
and weight of metal than in numbers. They had four 
thousand troops on board; and the best riflemen who 
could he procured, many of them Tyrolese, were dis¬ 
persed through the ships. Little did the Tyrolese, and 
little did the Spaniards, at that day, imagine what 
horrors the wicked tyrant whom they served was pre¬ 
paring for their country. 

Soon after daylight Nelson came upon deck. The 
21st of October was a festival in his family, because on 
that day his uncle, Captain Suckling, in the Dread¬ 
nought , with two other line-of-battle ships, had beaten 
off a French squadron of four sail of the line and three 
frigates. Nelson, with that sort of superstition from 
which few persons are entirely exempt, had more than 
once expressed his persuasion that this was to be the 
day of his battle also; and he was well pleased at 
seeing his prediction about to be verified. The wind 
was now from the west, ligh t breezes, with a long heavy 
swell. Signal was made to bear down upon the enemy 
in two lines; and the fleet set afl sail. Collingwood, in 
the Royal Sovereign , led the lee line of thirteen ships ; 
the Victory led the weather line of fourteen. Having 
seen that all was as it should be. Nelson retired to his 
cabin, and wrote the following prayer : — 

“ May the great Grod, whom I worship, grant to my 
country, and for the benefit of Europe in general, a 
great and glorious victory; and may no misconduct in 
any one tarnish it! and may humanity after victory be 
the predominant feature in the British fleet! For my¬ 
self individually, I commit my life-to Him that made 
me; and may His blessing alight on my endeavours for 


362 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1605. 


serving my country faithfully ! To Him I resign my¬ 
self, and the just cause which is entrusted to me to 
defend. Amen, Amen, Amen.” 

Having thus discharged his devotional duties, he 
annexed, in the same diary, the following remarkable 
writing : — 


“October 21 st, 1805. — Then in sight of the combined 
fleets of France and Spain , distant about ten 
miles . 

“ Whereas the eminent services of Emma Hamilton, 
widow of the Eight Honourable Sir William Hamilton, 
have been of the very greatest service to my king and 
my country, to my knowledge, without ever receiving 
any reward from either our king or country. 

“ First: That she obtained the King of Spain’s 
letter, in 1796, to his brother, the King of Naples, ac¬ 
quainting him of his intention to declare war against 
England; from which letter the ministry sent out 
orders to the then Sir John Jervis, to strike a stroke, if 
opportunity offered, against either the arsenals of Spain 
or her fleets. That neither of these was done is not 
the fault of Lady Hamilton; the opportunity might 
have been offered. 

(( Secondly: The British fleet under my command 
could never have returned the second time to Egypt, 
had not Lady Hamilton’s influence with the Queen of 
Naples caused letters to be wrote to the governor of 
Syracuse, that he was to encourage the fleet’s being 
supplied with everything, should they put into any port 
in Sicily. We put into Syracuse, and received ever^ 






1805. 


HIS APPEAL FOR LADY HAMILTON. 


363 


supply; went to Egypt, and destroyed the French 
fleet. 

“ Could I have rewarded these services, I would 
not now call upon my country; but as that has not 
been in my power, I leave Emma Lady Hamilton 
therefore a legacy to my king and country, that they 
will give her an ample provision to maintain her rank 
in life. 

“ I also leave to the beneficence of my country 
my adopted daughter, Horatia Nelson Thompson ; and 
I desire she will use in future the name of Nelson 
only. 

“ These are the only favours I ask of my king and 
country, at this moment when I am going to fight their 
battle. May God bless my king and country, and all 
those I hold dear! My relations it is needless to 
mention: they will, of course, be amply provided 
for. 

“ Nelson and Bronte. 


“ Witness 


j Henry Blackwood. 
(T. M. Hardy.” 


The child of whom this writing speaks was believed 
to be his daughter, and so, indeed, he called her the 
last time that he pronounced her name. She was then 
about five years old, living at Merton, under Lady 
Hamilton’s care. The last minutes which Nelson passed 
at Merton were employed in praying over this child, as 
she lay sleeping. A portrait of Lady Hamilton hung 
in his cabin ; and no Catholic ever beheld the picture of 
his patron saint with devouter reverence. The undis- 


364 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


guised and romantic passion with which he regarded it 
amounted almost to superstition ; and when the portrait 
was now taken down, in clearing for action, he desired 
the men who removed it to “ take care of his guardian 
angel.” In this manner he frequently spoke of it, as if 
he believed there were a virtue in the image. He wore 
a miniature of her, also, next his heart. 

Blackwood went on hoard the Victory about six. 
He found him in good spirits, but very calm; not in 
that exhilaration which he had felt upon entering into 
battle at Aboukir and Cope^nagen : he knew that his 
own life would be particularly aimed at, and seems to 
have looked for death with almost as sure an expecta¬ 
tion as for victory. His whole attention was fixed upon 
the enemy. They tacked to the northward, and formed 
their line on the larboard tack; thus bringing the 
shoals of Trafalgar and St. Pedro under the lee of the 
British, and keeping the port of Cadiz open for them¬ 
selves. This was judiciously done; and Nelson, aware 
of all the advantages which it gave them, made signal 
to prepare to anchor. 

Villeneuve was a skilful seaman; worthv of serving: 
a better master, and a better cause. His plan of 
defence was as well conceived, and as original, as the 
plan of attack. He formed the fleet in a double line; 
every alternate ship being about a cable’s length to 
windward of her second ahead and astern. Nelson, 
certain of a triumphant issue to the day, asked Black¬ 
wood what he should consider as a victory. That 
officer answered, that, considering the handsome way 
in which battle was offered by the enemy, their ap¬ 
parent determination for a fair trial of strength, and 


1805. 


HIS LAST SIGNAL. 


365 


the situation of the land, he thought it would be a 
glorious result if fourteen were captured. He replied : 
“ I shall not be satisfied with less than twenty.” Soon 
afterwards he asked him, if he did not think there was 
a signal wanting. Captain Blackwood made answer, 
that he thought the whole fleet seemed very clearly to 
understand what they were about. These words were 
scarcely spoken before that signal was made, which will 
be remembered as long as the language, or even the 
memory, of England shall endure—Nelson’s last signal: 
— “ England expects every Man to do his Duty ! ” 
It was received throughout the fleet with a shout of 
answering acclamation, made sublime by the spirit 
which it breathed, and the feeling which it expressed. 
“Now,” said Lord Nelson, “I can do no more. We 
must trust to the great Disposer of all events, and the 
justice of our cause. I thank Gfod for this grea/t 
opportunity of doing my duty.” 

He wore that day, as usual, his admiral’s frock- 
coat, bearing on the left breast four stars, of the 
different orders with which he was invested. Ornaments 
which rendered him so conspicuous a mark for the 
enemy were beheld with ominous apprehensions by his 
officers. It was known that there were riflemen on 
board the French ships; and it could not be doubted 
but that his life would be particularly aimed at. They 
communicated their fears to each other; and the 
surgeon, Mr. Beatty,* spoke to the chaplain. Dr. Scott, 
and to Mr. Scott, the public secretary, desiring that 

* In this part of the work I have chiefly been indebted to this 
entleman’s “ Narrative of Lord Nelson’s Death,” — a document as 
teresting as it is authentic. 


366 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


some person would entreat him to change his dress, or 
cover the stars; but they knew that such a request 
would highly displease him. “ In honour I gained 
them,” he had said, when such a thing had been hinted 
to him formerly, “and in honour I will die with them.” 
Mr. Beatty, however, would not have been deterred by 
any fear of exciting displeasure, from speaking to him 
himself upon a subject in which the weal of England, 
as well as the life of Nelson, was concerned—but he 
was ordered from the deck before he could find an 
opportunity. This was a point upon which Nelson’s 
officers knew that it was hopeless to remonstrate or 
reason with him; but both Blackwood and his own 
captain, Hardy, represented to him how advantageous 
to the fleet it would be for him to keep out of action as 
long as possible; and he consented at last to let the 
Leviathan and the Temeraire , which were sailing 
abreast of the Victory, be ordered to pass ahead. Yet 
even here the last infirmity of this noble mind was 
indulged; for these ships could not pass ahead if the 
Victory continued to carry all her sail; and so far was 
Nelson from shortening sail, that it was evident he took 
pleasure in pressing on, and rendering it impossible for 
them to obey his own orders. A long swell was setting 
into the Bay of Cadiz : our ships, crowding all sail, 
moved majestically before it, with light winds from the 
south-west. The sun shone on the sails of the enemy; 
and their well-formed line, with their numerous three- 
deckers, made an appearance which any other assailants 
would have thought formidable; but the British sailors 
only admired the beauty and the splendour of the 
spectacle; and, in full confidence of winning what they 































1805 


STRENGTH OF THE HOSTILE FLEETS 


367 


saw, remarked to each other, what a fine sight yonder 
ships would make at Spithead! * 

The French admiral, from the Bucentaure , beheld 


* The relative strength of the hostile fleets was as follows. The 
references to the respective ships correspond with those in the annexed 
engraving, which represents the situation of the two fleets at the mo¬ 
ment of commencing the action:— 

BRITISH FLEET. 


VAN. 



Ships. 




Guns. 


Commanders. 

A. 

Victory 

... 

... 

... 

no 

f Admiral Lord Nelson. 

( Captain T. M. Hardy. 

B. 

Temeraire ... 

... 

... 

... 

98 

99 

E. Harvey. 

C. 

Neptune 

... 

... 

... 

98 

99 

T. F. Freemantle. 

D. 

Britannia ... 

... 

... 

... 

100 

f Rear-Adm. Earl of Northesk. 
7 Captain C. Bullen. 

E. 

Leviathan ... 

... 

... 

... 

74 

99 

H. W. Bayntun. 

F. 

Conqueror ... 

... 

... 

... 

74 

99 

I. Pellew. 

G. 

Agamemnon 

... 

... 

... 

64 

99 

Sir E. Berry. 

H. 

Ajax . 

... 

... 

... 

74 

99 

f J. Pilford. 

I. 

Orion . 

... 

... 

... 

74 

99 

C. Codrington. 

K. 

Minotaur ... 

. . 

... 

... 

74 

99 

C. J. M. Mansfield. 

L. 

Spartiate ... 

... 

... 

... 

74 

99 

Sir F. Laforey. 

X. 

Defiance 

... 

... 

... 

74 

99 

P. C. Durham. 

z. 

Prince. 

... 

... 

... 

98 

yy 

R. GrindaLl. 

AA. Dreadnought 

... 

... 

... 

98 

99 

J. Conn. 

BB. Africa .... ... 

... 

... 

... 

64 

» 

H. Digby. 






BEAR. 


M. 

Royal Sovereign 

... 

... 

100 

(Vice-Admiral Collingwood. 

( Captain E. Rotherham. 

N. 

Belleisle 

... 



74 

99 

W. Hargood. 

0. 

Colossus 




74 

yy 

J. N. Morris. 

P. 

Mars . 




74 

99 

G. Duff. 

Q. 

Tonnant 

... 



80 

9 9 

C. Tyler. 

R. 

Bellerophon 

... 

... 


74 

99 

J. Cooke. 

S. 

Achille 



... 

74 

99 

R. King. 

T. 

Polyphemus 



... 

64 

99 

R. Redmill. 

U. 

Revenge 

... 

... 


74 

99 

H. R. Moorsom. 

V. 

Swiftsure ... 




74 

99 

W. G. Rutherford. 

w. 

Defence 


... 


74 

9 9 

Geo. Hope. 

Y. 

Thunderer ... 


... 

• « . 

74 

yt 

f J. Stockham. 

a. 

Euryalus ... 




30 

*> 

Hon. H. Blackwood 

b. 

Sirius . 



... 

36 

9 9 

W. Prowse. 

c. 

Phoebe. 

... 

... 

... 

36 

99 

Hon. T. B. Capel. 

d. 

Naiad. 

... 

... 


36 

1 » 

Lieut. 

Parker. 

e. 

Pickle. 

... 

... 


10 

J. R. Lapenotiere. 

f. 

Entreprenante 

... 

... 

... 

10 

99 

J. Puyer. 


t Senior Lieutenants Pilford, of the Ajax, and Stockham, of the Thunderer, commanded in 
the place of Captains Brown and Lechmere, called home to give evidence on the inquiry into 
the conduct of Sir K. Calder. 





3G8 


LIFE OF NELSON, 


1805- 


the new manner in which his enemy was advancing— 
Nelson and Collingwood each leading his line; and 
pointing them out to his officers, he is said to have 



SPANISH. 


Ships. 

Guns. 


Commanders. 

10 Santissima Trinidad 

... 136 

C Rear-Admiral Don Baltaser Cisner 
\ Brigadier Don F. Uriarte. 

29 Principe de Asturias 

... 112 

( Admiral Don F. Gravina. 

'I Captain Don Antonio Escano. 

26 Argonauta . 

... SO 

99 

Don Antonio Parejo. 

1 Neptuno . 

... 84 

9 * 

Brig. Don C. Valdez. 

17 Santa Anna. 

... 112 

j Vice-Admiral Don Ignatio D’Aliva 
( Capt. Don Joseph de Cardoqui. 

6 Rayo . 

... 100 

Brig. Don Henrique M’Donel. 

32 Montannez. 

... 74 

Captain Don F. Alcedo. 

19 Monarca . 

... 74 

99 

Don T. Argumosa. 

23 St. Juan Nepomuceno 

... 74 

99 

Brig. Don C. Churruca. 

8 San Francisco de Assisi 

... 74 

99 

Don Louis de Flores. 

30 Bahama . 

... 74 

99 

Brig. Don A. D. Galiano 

11 San Justo . 

... 74 

99 

Don Miguel Gaston. 

15 San Leandro . 

... 64 

99 

Don Jos. de Quevedo. 

3 San Augustino . 

... 74 

99 

Brig. Don F. X. Cagigal. 

33 San Ildefonso . 

... 74 

99 

Don Jos. de Vargas. 

Flora . 

... 44 



Mercurio . 

... 24 




FRENCH. 




( Admiral Villeneuve. 

12 Le Bucentaure . 

... SO 

< Captain Prigny. 



1 „ 

Majendie. 

4 Le Formidable . 

... 80 

(Rear-Admiral Dumanoir. 

I Captain Marchand. 

25 L’Algeziras. 

... 74 

(Rear-Admiral Magon. 

( Captain Bruard. 

16 L’lndomptable . 

... 84 

99 

Hubert. 

13 Le Neptune. 

... 84 

99 

Maistral. 

20 Le Pluton . 

... 74 

99 

Cosmas. 

5 Le Mont Blanc . 

... 74 

99 

le Villegries 

28 Le Swiftsure . 

... 74 

99 

Villemadrin. 

2 Le Scipion . 

... 74 

99 

Berenger. 

24 Le Berwick . 

... 74 

99 

Camas. 

21 L’lntrepide . 

... 74 

99 

Infornet. 

31 L’Aigle . 

... 74 

99 

Courrege. 

9 L’Heros . 

... 74 

99 

Poulain. 

18 Le Fougueux . 

... 74 

99 

Baudouin. 

7 Le Du Guay Trouin ... 

... 74 

99 

Touflet. 

22 L’Argonaute . 

... 74 

99 

Epron. 

14 Le Redoubtable. 

... 74 

99 

Lucas. 

27 L’Achille . 

... 74 

99 

de Nieuport. 

40 L’Her mi one . 

... 40 



37 L’Hortumne . 

... 40 



39 La Cornelie. 

... 40 



36 La Tamise . ... 

... 40 



84 Le Rhin . 

... 40 



35 L’Argus . 

... 16 



38 Le Ferrete . 

... 13 



L’Observateur . 

... 13 












805. 


BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. 


369 


exclaimed, that such conduct could not fail to be 
successful. Yet Villeneuve had made his own dis¬ 
positions with the utmost skill, and the fleets under his 
command waited for the attack with perfect coolness. 
Ten minutes before twelve they opened their fire. 
Eight or nine of the ships immediately ahead of the 
Victory , and across her bows, fired single guns at her, 
to ascertain whether she was yet within their range. 
As soon as Nelson perceived that their shot passed over 
him, he desired Blackwood, and Captain Prowse, of 
the Sirius , to repair to their respective frigates; and, 
on their way, to tell all the captains of the line-of- 
battle ships that he depended on their exertions; and 
that, if by the prescribed mode of attack they found it 
impracticable to get into action immediately, they 
might adopt whatever they thought best, provided it 
led them quickly and closely alongside an enemy. As 
they were standing on the front poop, Blackwood took 
him by the hand, saying, he hoped soon to return and 
find him in possession of twenty prizes. He replied, 
“ Grod bless you, Blackwood; I shall never see you 
again 1 

Nelson’s column was steered about two points more 
to the north than Collingwood’s, in order to cut off the 
enemy’s escape into Cadiz: the lee line, therefore, was 
first engaged. “ See,” cried Nelson, pointing to the 
Royal Sovereign , as she steered right for the centre of 
the enemy’s line, cut through it astern of the Santa 
Anna , three-decker, and engaged her at the muzzle of 
her guns on the starboard side; (( see how that noble 
fellow, Collingwood, carries his ship into action ! M 
Collingwood, delighted at being first in the heat of the 


370 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 . 


fire, and knowing the feelings of his commander and 
old friend, turned to his captain, and exclaimed: 
“Rotherham, what would Nelson give to be here?” 
Both these brave officers, perhaps, at this moment, 
thought of Nelson with gratitude, for a circumstance 
which had occurred on the preceding day. Admira- 
Collingwood, with some of the captains, having gone 
on board the Victory to receive instructions. Nelson 
inquired of him where his captain was; and was told, 
in reply, that they were not upon good terms with each 
other. “ Terms ! ” said Nelson, <e good terms with each 
other!” Immediately he sent a boat for Captain 
Rotherham; led him, as soon as he arrived, to Colling¬ 
wood, and saying : “ Look; yonder are the enemy ! ” 
bade them shake hands like Englishmen. 

The enemy continued to fire a gun at a time at the 
Victory , till they saw that a shot had passed through 
her main-top-gallant sail; then they opened their broad¬ 
sides, aiming chiefly at her rigging, in the hope of dis¬ 
abling her before she could close with them. Nelson, 
as usual, had hoisted several flags, lest one should be 
shot away. The enemy showed no colours till late in 
the action, when they began to feel the necessity of 
having them to strike. For this reason, the Santis- 
sima Trinidad, Nelson’s old acquaintance, as he used 
to call her, was distinguishable only by her four decks ; 
and to the bow of this opponent he ordered the Victory 
to be steered. Meantime, an incessant raking fire was 
kept up upon the Victory. The admiral’s secretary 
was one of the first who fell; he was killed by a cannon- 
shot while conversing with Hardy. Captain Adair of 
the marines, with the help of a sailor, endeavoured to 


lSv/5. 


BATTLE OF TRAFALGAR. 


371 


remove the body from Nelson’s sight, who had a great 
regard for Mr. Scott; but he anxiously asked, “ Is that 
poor Scott that’s gone?” and being informed that it 
was indeed so, exclaimed, “ Poor fellow! ” Presently, 
a double-headed shot struck a party of marines, who 
were drawn up on the poop, and killed eight of them: 
upon which Nelson immediately desired Captain Adair 
to disperse his men round the ship, that they might not 
suffer so much from being together. A few minutes 
afterwards a shot struck the fore-brace bits on the 
quarter-deck, and passed between Nelson and Hardy, a 
splinter from the bit tearing off Hardy’s buckle, and 
bruising his foot. Both stopped, and looked anxiously 
at each other : each supposed the other to be wounded. 
Nelson then smiled, and said : “ This is too warm work, 
Hardy, to last long.” 

The Victory had not yet returned a single gun ; 
fifty of her men had been by this time killed or wounded, 
and her main-top-mast with all her studding-sails and 
their booms shot away. Nelson declared, that, in all 
his battles, he had seen nothing which surpassed the 
cool courage of his crew on this occasion. At four 
minutes after twelve, she opened her fire from both 
sides of her deck. It was not possible to break the 
enemy’s line without running on board one of their 
ships; Hardy informed him of this, and asked him 
which he would prefer. Nelson replied: “ Take your 
choice, Hardy, it does not signify much.” The master 
was ordered to put the helm to port, and the Victory 
ran on board the Redoubtable , just as her tiller-ropes 
were shot away. The French ship received her with 
a broadside; then instantly let down her lower-deck 


372 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 . 



ports, for fear of being boarded through them, and 
never afterwards fired a great gun during the action. 
Her tops, like those of all the enemy’s ships, were filled 
with riflemen. Nelson never placed musketry in his 
tops; he had a strong dislike to the practice: not 
merely because it endangers setting fire to the sails, 
but also because it is a murderous sort of warfare, by 
which individuals may suffer, and a commander now 
and then be picked off, but which never can decide the 
fate of a general engagement. 

Captain Harvey, in the Temeraire , fell on board the 
Redoubtable on the other side. Another enemy was in 
like manner on board the Temeraire, so that these four 
ships formed as compact a tier as if they had been 


THE VICTORY BREAKING THE ENEMY’S BINE AT TRAFALGAR. 
















Death oe Ne;lson at Tkakalgak 


i '“ge 373 







































1805. RECEIVES HIS DEATH-WOUND. 373 

moored together, their heads lying all the same way. 
The lieutenants of the Victory, seeing this, depressed 
their guns of the middle and lower decks, and fired 
with a diminished charge, lest the shot should pass 
through and injure the Terrier air e. And because there 
was danger that the Redoubtable might take fire from 
the lower-deck guns, the muzzles of which touched her 
side when they were run out, the fireman of each gun 
stood ready with a bucket of water; which, as soon as 
the gun was discharged, he dashed into the hole made 
by the shot. An incessant fire was kept up from the 
Victory from both sides ; her larboard guns play¬ 
ing upon the Bucentaure, and the huge Santissima 
Trinidad, 

It had been part of Nelson’s prayer, that the British 
fleet might be distinguished by humanity in the victory 
he expected. Setting an example himself, he twice 
gave orders to cease firing upon the Redoubtable, sup¬ 
posing that she had struck, because her great guns were 
silent; for, as she carried no flag, there was no means 
of instantly ascertaining the fact. From this ship, 
which he had thus twice spared, he received his death. 
A ball fired from her mizen-top, which, in the then 
situation of the two vessels, was not more than fifteen 
yards from that part of the deck where he was standing, 
struck the epaulette on his left shoulder, about a quar¬ 
ter after one, just in the heat of action. He fell upon 
his face, on the spot which was covered with his poor 
secretary’s blood. Hardy, who was a few steps from 
him, turning round, saw three men raising him up. 
“ They have done for me at last, Hardy!’’ said he. 
“I hope not!” cried Hardy. “Yes,” he replied; “my 


374 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


back-bone is shot through !” Yet even now, not for a 
moment losing his presence of mind, he observed, as 
they were carrying him down the ladder, that the tiller- 
ropes, which had been shot away, were not yet replaced, 
and ordered that new ones should be rove immediately. 
Then, that he might not be seen by the crew, he took 
out his handkerchief, and covered his face and his stars. 
Had he but concealed these badges of honour from the 
enemy, England, perhaps, would not have had cause to 
receive with sorrow the news of the battle of Trafalgar 
The cockpit was crowded with wounded and dying men; 
over whose bodies he was with some difficulty conveyed, 
and laid upon a pallet in the midshipmen’s berth. It 
was soon perceived, upon examination, that the wound 
was mortal. This, however, was concealed from all 
except Captain Hardy, the chaplain, and the medical 
attendants. He himself being certain, from the sensa¬ 
tion in his back, and the gush of blood he felt momently 
within his breast, that no human care could avail him, 
insisted that the surgeon should leave him, and attend 
to those to whom he might be useful. “ For,” said he, 
“ you can do nothing for me.” All that could be done 
was to fan him with paper, and frequently to give him 
lemonade to alleviate his intense thirst. He was in 
great pain, and expressed much anxiety for the event of 
the action, which now began to declare itself. As often 
as a ship struck, the crew of the Victory hurrahed; and 
at every hurrah, a visible expression of joy gleamed in 
the eyes, and marked the countenance, of the dying 
hero. But he became impatient to see Captain Hardy; 
and as that officer, though often sent for, could not 
leave the deck. Nelson feared that some fatal cause pre- 


1805. 


HIS SUFFERINGS FROM HIS WOUND. 


3?5 


vented him, and repeatedly cried : “ Will no one bring 
Hardy to me ? He must be killed ! He is surely 
dead I” An hour and ten minutes elapsed from the 
time when Nelson received his wound, before Hardy 
could come to him. They shook hands in silence; 
Hardy in vain struggling to suppress the feelings of 
that most painful and yet sublimest moment. “ Well, 
Hardy,” said Nelson; “how goes the day with us?” 
“Very well,” replied Hardy; “ten ships have struck, 
but five of the van have tacked, and show an inten¬ 
tion to bear down upon the Victory. I have called 
two or three of our fresh ships round, and have no 
doubt of giving them a drubbing.” “ I hope,” said 
Nelson, “none of our ships have struck?” Hardy 
answered, “ There was no fear of that.” Then, and not 
till then. Nelson spoke of himself. “ I am a dead man, 
Hardy,” said he: “I am going fast; it will be all ovec 
with me soon. Come nearer to me. Let my dear 
Lady Hamilton have my hair, and all other thing* 
belonging to me.” Hardy observed, that he hoped 
Mr. Beatty could yet hold out some prospect of life. 
“ Oh no ! ” he replied; “ it is impossible; my back is 
shot through. Beatty will tell you so.” Captain Hardy 
then, once more, shook hands with him; and with a 
heart almost bursting, hastened upon deck. 

By this time all feeling below the breast was gone; 
and Nelson, having made the surgeon ascertain this, said 
to him: “You know I am gone. I know ih I feel 
something rising in my breast ” (putting his hand on his 
left side) “which tells me so.” And upon Beatty’s 
inquiring whether his pain was very great ? he replied, 
“ So great, that he wished he was dead. Yet,” said he, 


376 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


in a lower voice, “ one would like to live a little longer 
too! ” And after a few minutes, in the same under-tone, 
he added: “ Wliat would become of poor Lady Hamilton 
if she knew my situation ! ” Next to his country, she 
occupied his thoughts. Captain Hardy, some fifty 
minutes after he had left the cockpit, returned, and 
again taking the hand of his dying friend and com¬ 
mander, congratulated him on having gained a complete 
victory. How many of the enemy were taken he did 
not know, as it was impossible to perceive them distinctly, 
but fourteen or fifteen at least. “ That’s well! ” cried 
Nelson; “but I bargained for twenty.” And then, in 
a stronger voice, he said: “Anchor, Hardy; anchor.’’ 
Hardy, upon this, hinted that Admiral Collingwood 
would take upon himself the direction of affairs. “ Not 
while I live, Hardy,” said the dying Nelson, ineffectually 
endeavouring to raise himself from the bed ; “ do you 
anchor.” His previous order for preparing to anchor 
had shown how clearly he foresaw the necessity of this. 
Presently, calling Hardy back, he said to him, in a low 
voice : “ Don’t throw me overboard;” and he desired 
that he might be buried by his parents, unless it should 
please the king to order otherwise. Then reverting to 
private feelings,—“ Take care of my dear Lady Hamilton, 
Hardy; take care of poor Lady Hamilton. Kiss me, 
Hardy,” said he. Hardy knelt down and kissed his 
cheek; and Nelson said: “ Now I am satisfied. 

Thank God, I have done my duty! ” Hardy stood over 
him in silence for a moment or two, then knelt again, 
and kissed his forehead. “ Who is that ? ” said Nelson ; 
and being informed, he replied: “ God bless you,- 
Hardy!” And Hardy then left him, for ever. 


















1805. 


HIS LAST MOMENTS. 


377 


Nelson now desired to be turned upon bis right 
side, and said : “ I wish I had not left the deck; for I 
shall soon be gone." Death was, indeed, rapidly 
approaching. He said to the chaplain: e< Doctor, I have 
not been a great sinnerand after a short pause, 
“ Remember that I leave Lady Hamilton, and my 
daughter Horatia, as a legacy to my country." His 
articulation now became difficult; but he was distinctly 
heard to say: “ Thank Hod, I have done my duty! ” 
These words he repeatedly pronounced; and they were 
the last words which he uttered. He expired at thirty 
minutes after four, three hours and a quarter after he 
had received his wound. 

Within a quarter of an hour after Nelson was 
wounded, above fifty of the Victory's men fell by the 
enemy’s musketry. They however, on their part, were 
not idle ; and it was not long before there were only two 
Frenchmen left alive in the mizen-top of the Redoubt¬ 
able. One of them was the man who had given the 
fatal wound ; he did not live to boast of what he had 
done. An old quarter-master had seen him fire; and 
easily recognised him, because he wore a glazed cocked- 
hat and a white frock. This quarter-master and two 
midshipmen, Mr. Collingwood and Mr. Pollard, were the 
only persons left in the Victory's poop; the two mid¬ 
shipmen kept firing at the top, and he supplied them 
with cartridges. One of the Frenchmen, attempting to 
make his escape down the rigging, was shot by Mr. 
Pollard, and fell on the poop. But the old quarter¬ 
master, as he cried out, “ That’s he, that’s he ! ’ and 
pointed at the other, who was coming forward to fire 
again, received a shot in his mouth, and fell dead. 


378 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805. 


Both the midshipmen then fired at the same time, and 
the fellow dropped in the top. When they took pos¬ 
session of the prize, they went into the mizen-top, and 
found him dead; with one ball through his head, and 
another through his breast. 

The Redoubtable struck within twenty minutes after 
the fatal shot had been fired from her. During that 
time she had been twice on fire; in her forechains, and 
in her forecastle. The French, as they had done in 
other battles, made use in this of fire-balls, and other 
combustibles; implements of destruction which other 
nations, from a sense of honour and humanity, have 
laid aside; which add to the sufferings of the wounded, 
without determining the issue of the combat; which 
none but the cruel would employ; and which never can 
be successful against the brave. Once they succeeded in 
setting fire, from the Redoubtable , to some ropes and 
canvas on the Victory's booms. The cry ran through 
the ship, and reached the cockpit; but even this dread¬ 
ful cry produced no confusion; the men displayed that, 
perfect self-possession in danger by which English seamen 
are characterised ; they extinguished the flames on board 
their own ship, and then hastened to extinguish them in 
the enemy, by throwing- buckets of water from the 
gangway. When the Redoubtable had struck, it was 
not practicable to board her from the Victory , for, 
though the two ships touched, the upper works of both 
fell in so much that there was a great space between 
their gangways ; and she could not be boarded from the 
lower or middle decks, because her ports were down. 
Some of our men went to Lieutenant Quilliam, and 
offered to swim under her bows, and get up there ; but 


1805, COURAGE AND HUMANITY OF OUR SAILORS. 379 

it was thought unfit to hazard brave lives in this 
manner. 

What our men would have done from gallantry, 
some of the crew of the Santissima Trinidad did to 
save themselves. Unable to stand the tremendous fire 
of the Victory , whose larboard-guns played against this 
great four-decker, and not knowing how else to escape 
them, nor where else to betake themselves for pro¬ 
tection, many of them leapt overboard, and swam to 
the Victory , and were actually helped up her sides by 
the English during the action. The Spaniards began 
the battle with less vivacity than their unworthy allies, 
but continued it with greater firmness. The Argonauta 
and Bahama were defended till they had each lost 
about four hundred men; the San Juan Ne'pomuceno 
lost three hundred and fifty. Often as the superiority 
of British courage has been proved against France upon 
the seas, it was never more conspicuous than in this 
decisive conflict. Five of our ships were engaged 
muzzle to muzzle with five of the French. In all five, 
the Frenchmen lowered their lower-deck ports, and 
deserted their guns; while our men continued deliber¬ 
ately to load and fire, till they had made the victory 
secure. 

Once, amidst his sufferings. Nelson had expressed a 
wish that he were dead; but immediately the spirit 
subdued the pains of death, and he wished to live a 
little longer; doubtless that he might hear-the com¬ 
pletion of the victory which he had seen so gloriously 
begun. That consolation, that joy, that triumph, was 
afforded him. He lived to know that the victory was 
decisive; and the last guns which were fired at the 


380 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 


flying enemy were heard a minute or two before he 
expired. The ships which were thus flying were four 
of the enemy’s van, all French, under Rear-Admiral 
Dumanoir. They had borne no part in the action ; 
and now, when they were seeking safety in flight, they 
fired not only into the Victory and Royal Sovereign 
as they passed, but poured their broadsides into the 
Spanish captured ships; and they were seen to back 
their top-sails, for the purpose of firing with more 
precision. The indignation of the Spaniards at this 
detestable cruelty from their allies, for whom they had 
fought so bravely, and so profusely bled, may well be 
conceived. It was such, that when, two days after the 
action, seven of the ships which had escaped into Cadiz 
came out, in hopes of retaking some of the disabled 
prizes, the prisoners in the Argonauta , in a body, 
offered their services to the British prize-master, to 
man the guns against any of the French ships: saying, 
that if a Spanish ship came alongside they would 
quietly go below; but they requested that they might 
be allowed to fight the French, in resentment for the 
murderous usage which they had suffered at their 
hands. Such was their earnestness, and such the 
implicit confidence which could be placed in Spanish 
honour, that the offer was accepted; and they were 
actually stationed at the lower-deck guns. Dumanoir 
and his squadron were not more fortunate than the fleet 
from whose destruction they fled; they fell in with Sir 
Richard Strachan, who was cruising for the Rochefort 
squadron, and were all taken. In the better days of 
France, if such a crime could then have been com¬ 
mitted, it would have received an exemplary punish- 






1805. 


GENEROUS CONDUCT OF THE SPANIARDS. 


381 


ment from the French government; under Bonaparte, 
i.t was sure of impunity, and, perhaps, might be thought 
deserving of reward. But, if the Spanish court had 
been independent, it would have become us to have 
delivered Dumanoir and his captains up to Spain, that 
they might have been brought to trial, and hanged in 
£ight of the remains of the Spanish fleet. 

The total British loss in the battle of Trafalgar 
amounted to 1587. Twenty of the enemy struck:— 
unhappily the fleet did not anchor, as Nelson, almost 
with his dying breath, had enjoined;—a gale came on 
from the south-west; some of the prizes went down, 
some went on shore; one effected its escape into Cadiz; 
others were destroyed; four only were saved, and those 
by the greatest exertions. The wounded Spaniards 
were sent ashore, an assurance being given that they 
should not serve till regularly exchanged; and the 
Spaniards, with a generous feeling which would not, 
perhaps, have been found in any other people, offered 
the use of their hospitals for our wounded, pledging the 
honour of Spain that they should be carefully attended 
there. When the storm, after the action, drove some 
of the prizes upon the coast, they declared that the 
English, who were thus thrown into their hands, should 
not be considered as prisoners of war; and the Spanish 
soldiers gave up their own beds to their shipwrecked 
enemies. The Spanish vice-admiral, Alva, died of his 
wounds. Villeneuve was sent to England,- and per¬ 
mitted to return to France. The French government 
say that he destroyed himself on the way to Paris, 
dreading the consequences of a court-martial: but 
there is every reason to believe that the tyrant, who 


382 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


480 


never acknowledged the loss of the battle of Trafalgar, 
added Villeneuve to the numerous victims of his 
murderous policy. 

It is almost superfluous to add, that all the honours 
which a grateful country could bestow were heaped 
upon the memory of Nelson. His brother was made 
an eafl, with a grant of 6000/,. a-year; 10,000/. were 
voted to each of his sisters: and 100,000/. for the 
purchase of an estate. A public funeral was decreed, 
and a public monument. Statues and monuments also 
were voted by most of our principal cities. The leaden 
coffin, in which he was brought home, was cut in pieces, 
which were distributed as relics of Saint Nelson—so 
the gunner of the Victory called them: and when, at 
his interment, his flag was about to be lowered into 
the grave, the sailors, who assisted at the ceremony, 
with one accord rent it in pieces, that each might 
preserve a fragment while he lived. 

The death of Nelson was felt in England as some* 
thing more than a public calamity: men started at the 
intelligence, and turned pale; as if they had heard of 
the loss of a dear friend.' An object of our admiration 
and affection, of our pride and of our hopes, was sud-r 
denly taken from us; and it seemed as if we had never, 
till then, known how deeply we loved and reverenced 
him. What the country had lost in its great naval 
hero—the greatest of our own and of all former times— 
was scarcely taken into the account of grief. So per¬ 
fectly, indeed, had he performed his part, that the 
maritime war, after the battle of Trafalgar, was con¬ 
sidered at an end: the fleets of the enemy were not 
merely defeated, but destroyed: new navies must be 








1805. 


CONCLUSION. 


383 


built, and a new race of seamen reared for them, before 
the possibility of their invading our shores could again 
be contemplated. It was not, therefore, from any sel 
fish reflection upon the magnitude of our loss that we 
mourned for him : the general sorrow was of a higher 
character. The people of England grieved that funeral 
ceremonies, and public monuments, and posthumous 
rewards, were all which they could now bestow upon 
him whom the king, the legislature, and the nation, 
would have alike delighted to honour; whom every 
tongue would have blessed; whose presence in every 
village through which he might have passed would 
have wakened the church bells, have given school-boys 
a holiday, have drawn children from their sports to 
gaze upon him, and “ old men from the chimney cor¬ 
ner,” to look upon Nelson ere they died. The victory 
of Trafalgar was celebrated, indeed, with the usual 
forms of rejoicing, but they were without joy ; for such 
already was the glory of the British navy, through Nel¬ 
son’s surpassing genius, that it scarcely seemed to re¬ 
ceive any addition from the most signal victory that 
ever was achieved upon the seas: and the destruction 
of this mighty fleet, by which all the maritime schemes 
of France were totally frustrated, hardty appeared to 
add to our security or strength ; for, while Nelson was 
living, to watch the combined squadrons of the enemy, 
we felt ourselves as secure as now, when they were no 
longer in existence. 

There was reason to suppose, from the appearances 
upon opening the body, that, in the course cf nature, he 
might have attained, like his father, to a good old age 
Yet he cannot be said to have fallen prematurely whose 


384 


LIFE OF NELSON. 


1805 . 


work was done; nor ought he to be lamented, who died 
so full of honours, and at the height of human fame. 
The most triumphant death is that of the martyr; the 
most awful that of the martyred patriot; the most 
splendid that of the hero in the hour of victory; and if 
the chariot and the horses of fire had been vouchsafed 
* for Nelson’s translation, he could scarcely have departed 
in a brighter blaze of glory. He has left us, not indeed 
bis mantle of inspiration, but a name and an example, 
which are at this hour inspiring thousands of the youth 
of England,— a name which is our pride, and an 
example which will continue to be our shield and our 
strength. Thus it is that the spirits of the great and 
the wise continue to live and to act after them; verifying, 
in this sense, the language of the old mythologist: 

To/ /xsv bai'Lcvsg siffi, Air\g /j.syaXou dia (3o-jXag 

E<&Xw, svtyjwioi, <puACiX.s<; ^vn-wv 


INDEX. 


4.U0UKTR Bay, battle between the 
English and French fleets at, 
171-184. See Nile. 

Achille (Captain King), 367 
Achille, j V (Captain Nieuport), 368 
Active, 335 

Addington, Mr., Nelson’s application 
to, on behalf of Lady Hamilton, 
320 

Admiralty, danger of false economy 
at the, 105 ; letters of Nelson to 
the, 231, 235, 338 (See Sir John 
Jarvis); censure Nelson for dis¬ 
obeying Lord Keith’s orders, 234 
Africa (Captain Digby), 367 
Agamemnon , Nelson appointed to 
the command of, 73 ; engagement 
between it and the Ca Ira and 
Censevr, 102, 103; is taken to 
Leghorn for repair’s, 118 ; runs 
aground at the battle of Copen¬ 
hagen, 273, 274; at the battle of 
Trafalgar, 367; is wrecked when 
under the command of Captain 
Bose in Maldonado Bay in the 
River Plate, 77 n. 

Aggershuis (Lieut.Fasting), 276,283 
Aigle (Captain Courrege), 368 
Ajax (Captain Pilford), 367 
Albemarle, 39 ; is sent to the North 
Seas, 40; imminent danger of, 
off Goodwin Sands, ib.; narrowly 
escapes being captured by a 
Fi’ench squadron, 41 
Alcide, conflagration on board of, 108 
Alcmene (Captain Sutton), 194, 272, 
276 

Alexander (Captain Ball), 159, 163, 
173, 191 

Alexander, Czar, sends a message 
to Nelson, 307 

Alexandria, Nelson discovers the 
French fleet at, 169 
Algeziras (Rear-adm. Magon, Cap¬ 
tain Bruard), 368 


Allen, the faithful servant of Nex- 
son, 272 

Alva (Spanish vice-adm.), dies of 
his wounds, 381 

Amazon (Captain Riou), 258,270 
American vessels captured by Ncd- 
son for their infringement of tho 
Navigation Act, 57-59; annoy¬ 
ances resulting therefrom, 58, 70 
Amiens, peace of, 316 
Andrews, Lieut., boards the Ca Ira 
and Censevr, 103 
Aquilon , 173 

Ardent (Captain Bertie), 276 
Argonauta (Captain Parejo), 368, 
379 ; the prisoners in the, offer to 
man the guns against the French 
ships, 380 

Argonaute (Captain Epron), 368 
Argus, 368 

Arrow (Captain Bolton), 272, 276 
Artemise, 173, 183 

Artillery officers, Nelson settles the 
claims of, 324-326 
Aubant, General d’, takes possession 
of Bastia, 95 

Audacious (Captain Gould), 163,173 
Austria, after the battle of the Nile, 
prepares to renew the war with 
France, 206; its vacillating po¬ 
licy, 216 

Austrians, defeat of, by the French, 
117,123 

Badger, 32 

Bahama (Captain Galiano), 368, 379 
Ball, Captain, in the Alexander tows 
the Vanguard into the harbour of 
St. Pietro, 160; blockades Malta 
by sea, 207, 240; is reinforced by 
Nelson, 207 ; his resolute con¬ 
duct in seizing the com-ships at 
Messina, 245 
Baltic. See Copenhagen 
Bastia. bombarded by British ships, 


385 


INDEX. 


84; siege and capture of, by Nel¬ 
son, 92-95 

Bear, adventure with a, 24 
Beatty, Mr., his N arrative of Lord 
Nelson’s Death,” 365 
Beaulieu, General of the allied 
Austrian and Sardinian armies, 
communicates with Nelson as to 
the best means of co-operating to 
resist the French in Italy, 123; 
is defeated hy Bonaparte, ib. 
Belleisle (Captain Hargood), 367 
Bellerophon (Captain Cooke), 163 ; 

(Captain Darby), 173, 367 
Bellona (Sir T. B. Thompson), 273, 
275, 280, 281, 287 
Berry, Captain, the first to board 
the San Nicolas, 135 ; assistance 
rendered by him to Nelson when 
wounded at the battle of the Nile, 
177, 178 ; carries home the news 
of the victory, 179 
Berwick (Captain Camas), 368 
Blanche (Captain Hamondj, 128, 
272, 276 
Blenheim , 134 

Blackwood, Captain, brings intelli¬ 
gence to Nelson when at Merton 
of the movements of the French 
and Spanish fleets, 350; watch 
maintained by him over the move¬ 
ments of the combined fleets, 360; 
his last conversation with Nelson 
on board the Victory, 364,365,369 
Bonaparte takes the command of 
the French army in Italy, 122 ; 
defeats the Austrians at Monte- 
notte, 123; dictates to the court 
of Turin terms of peace, 124; 
enters Tuscany, and takes pos¬ 
session of Leghorn, ib.; expe¬ 
dition fitted out by, at Toulon, 
158 ; eludes Nelson’s fleet, and 
arrives at Alexandria, 169; the 
French fleets detained at Alex¬ 
andria by his command, 170 ; his 
return from Egypt, 248, 249; 
makes preparations for the inva¬ 
sion of England, 311 ; Nelson’s 
intimate knowledge of his charac¬ 
ter and designs, 327; his am¬ 
bitious schemes, 328, 329 


Bonne Citoyenne, 159 
Boreas , 50; health of its crew while 
commanded by Nelson, 64, 65 
Boston (U.S.), certificate preserved 
at, recording the generosity cf 
Nelson, 41 

Boulogne, preparations made at, for 
the invasion of England, 311; 
Nelson destroys two floating bat¬ 
teries at, ib.; unsuccessful attack 
on the flotilla in, 313-315 
Bowen, Captain, killed at Santa 
Cruz, 148 
Bristol , 31 

Britannia (Rear-adm. EarlofNorth- 
esk, Captain Bullen), 367 
British government, orders issued 
by, to consider all ports as hostile 
where British ships should be re¬ 
fused supplies, 158,161; evacua¬ 
tion of Corsica by, 125 
Bronte, dukedom of, bestowed on 
Nelson, 237 

Brueys, Admiral of the French fleet 
at the battle of the Nile, position 
taken by him in Aboukir Bay, 
170 ; his death, 180, 181 
Bryerly, Mr., leads the fleet at the 
battle of Copenhagen, 273 
Bucentaur (Adm. Villeneuve, Capts. 
Prigny and Majendie), 368, 373 

Cadiz, blockade of, 141; Nelson’s 
arrival at, 354 
Ca Ira , 101 

Calder, Sir Robert, his engagements 
with the French and Spanish 
fleets, 349, 350 ; sent to England 
in a frigate to take his trial by 
court-martial, 358 

Calvi, siege of, 97, 98 ; Nelson loses 
an eye at, 98 

Captain, the, 131-135; injury sus¬ 
tained by, in the battle off Cape 
St. Vincent, 137; its subsequent 
fate, 137 n. 

Capua, surrender of, to Captain 
Trowbridge, 233 

Caraccioli, Prince Francisco, Nel¬ 
son’s unjust conduct towards him, 
225-228 ; his sad death, 228 ; his 
body afloat, 229 


INDEX. 


387 


Carcass, engaged in the exploratory 
expedition to the North Pole 
under Captain Phipps, 21 
Carlscrona, Swedish ships take re¬ 
fuge in, 303 

Casa-Bianca perishes with his son 
in V Orient, 181 
Caroline , 159 
Censeur, 103 
Ceres , 128 

Ohampionet, French general, his 
conduct at Naples, 214-216 
Charlotte Amalia (Capt. Kofod), 276 
Clarence, Duke of (afterwards Wil¬ 
liam IV.), his description of Nel¬ 
son’s personal appearance in 
1783, 43; is present at the mar¬ 
riage of Nelson with Mrs. Nisbet, 
and gives away the bride, 61; 
letters to, from Nelson, 66, 67, 
230, 232, 242 

Cockburn, Captain, assists Nelson 
in capturing a convoy laden with 
stores for Bonaparte, 124 
Collingwood, Lieutenant (afterwards 
Admiral), succeeds Nelson as 
second lieutenant in the Lowes- 
toffe, 31; also in the Bristol , 32 ; 
co-operates with Nelson in en¬ 
forcing the Navigation Act, 57; 
assistance rendered by him to 
Nelson at the battle of Cape St. 
Vincent, 136; Nelson sends to 
him his proposed plan of attack 
at the battle of Trafalgar, 358 ; is 
reconciled to Captain Rotherham, 
370 

Colossus (Captain Morris), 367 
Conqueror (Captain Pellew), 367 
Copenhagen, its strong position, 
265; battle of, 268-290; list of 
British and Danish vessels en¬ 
gaged in the battle of, 276 
Conquer ant, 173 

Cordova, Don Joseph de, commands 
the Spanish fleet in the battle off 
Cape St. Vincent, 132 
Corfu surrenders to a Russian and 
Turkish fleet, 217 
Cornelie, 368 

Cornwallis, Captain (afterwards Ad¬ 
miral), his kindness to Nelson on 


his return from the capture of 
San Juan. 39 ; Nelson joins him 
off Ushant, 345 

Corsica, history and description of, 
81; cruel conduct of the French 
to, 84; answer to an offer to 
place itself under the protection 
of Britain, 84, 85; state of, under 
the protectorship of Gaffori and 
Matra, 85 ; under Paoli, 87; is 
transferred from the Genoese to 
the French, 88; is recognised by 
the National Assembly as a de¬ 
partment of France, 90; the 
French expelled by Nelson, and 
the island annexed to the British 
dominions, 91-99; orders given 
by the British cabinet to evacu¬ 
ate it, 125; is obliged to make 
peace with France, 126 

Corte, incident at the siege of, 85 

Courayer, 103 

Cronenburg Castle, passage of the 
Baltic fleet past, 263-267; history 
of, 265 

Cronstadt, 306 

Culloden (Captain Trowbridge), 134, 
163,173, 182, 191 

Dalling, General, his design for 
cutting off’ the communication 
of the Spaniards between their 
northern and southern posses¬ 
sions in America, 33 

Dannebroy (Comm. Fischer, Captain 
Braun), 276, 283, 288 

Danes, bravery and patriotism 
evinced by them in the battle of 
Copenhagen, 270-290; their re¬ 
sentment against England, 308, 
309 

Dart (Captain Devonshire), 272,276 

Davison, Alexander, prevents Nel¬ 
son from making ah imprudent 
marriage at Quebec, 42 ; his in¬ 
terview with Nelson in London, 
43; appointed by Nekon sole 
prize-agent for the ships captured 
at the battle of the Nile, 192 ; 
orders medals to be struck for 
the officers and men engaged in 
that battle, ib. 





INDEX. 


388 

Defence , 163,173, 285, 367 
Defiance , (Rear-ad. Graves, Captain 
Retalick), 276, 287, 367 
Denmark joins the confederacy 
against England, 257 ; its fleet, ib. 
Denmark, Crown-Prince of, Nel¬ 
son’s letters to, 284,286; Nelson’s 
interview with, 294 
Desiree , La (Captain Inman), 276, 
280, 287 

Despard, Captain, his gallant con¬ 
duct at the capture of San Bar¬ 
tolomeo, 36; executed at Horse- 
monger Lane jail for conspiring 
to take the life of George III., 
while proceeding to open Parlia¬ 
ment, 36 n. 

De Vins, General of the Austrian 
and Sardinian armies, his inac¬ 
tivity, 111; demands satisfaction 
of the Genoese government for 
the seizure of his commissary, 
115, 116; gives up the command 
while fighting with the French, 117 
Deux Ponts, Count of, is captured 
by Nelson off the coasts of Ve¬ 
nezuela, 44 
Diane, 173 

Digby, Admiral, commander-in- 
chief at Sandy Hook, 42 
Dolphin, 29, 30 

Domett, Captain, his representa¬ 
tions to Sir Hyde Parker, 262 
Dreadnought , 1, 20, 367 
Dumanoir, Rear-adm., escapes with 
four vessels at the battle of Tra¬ 
falgar, 381; is captured by Sir 
Richard Strachan, ib. 

Du Guay Trouin (Captain Touflet), 
368 

Dundas, General, refuses to co¬ 
operate with Lord Hood in the 
siege of Bastia, 92, 93 

East India Company vote Nelson 
10,000/. after his victory at the 
Nile, 190 

Edgar (Captain Murray), 273 
Egmont, 126 

Egypt, Nelson goes there in search 
of the Toulon fleet, 164, 169; his 
"easons for so doing, 166; goes 


there in search of Villeneuve’s 
fleet, 325 

Elephant (Captain Foley), 263, 275, 
282, 283, 287, 303 

Elliot, Sir Gilbert, viceroy of Cor¬ 
sica, his feelings at the evacuation 
of that island by the British, 125 
Elliot, Mr. minister at Naples, his 
proposal to send Nelson informa¬ 
tion through a Frenchman how 
received, 330 
Elsineur, 39, 261, 264 
Elven (Captain Holstein), 276 
Emerald, 59, 194 

“ England expects every man to do 
his duty,” Nelson’s last signal, 365 
Entreprenante (Lieut. Puyer), 367 
Erskine, Sir James, declines to send 
a detachment to assist Nelson in 
expelling the French from Rome, 
239; or to attack Malta, 241 
Estaing, Count d’, threatens Ja¬ 
maica, 33 

Estandlet, Captain, sets fire to his 
ship the Artemise , 183 
Esterhazy, Prince, entertains Nel¬ 
son with great magnificence, 250 
Euryalus (C&pt. Blackwood), 360,367 

Farmer, Captain of the Seahorse, 28 
Eearney, William, receives from 
Nelson the swords of the Spanish 
officers, 137 
Ferrete, 368 

Fischer, Olfert, his official account 
of the battle of Copenhagen, 296 ; 
Nelson’s reply to the same, 296, 
297 

Flora , 159, 368 

Foote, Captain, receives instruc¬ 
tions to co-operate with Cardinal 
Ruffo, 223 ; agrees to terms of 
capitulation with the castles of 
Uovo and Nuovo, 224; Nelson 
annuls the capitulation, 225 
Formidable (Rear-adm. Dumanoir, 
Captain Marchand), 368 
Foudroyant , 226, 246 
Fougueux (Captain Baudouin), 368 
Fox receives a shot which causes it 
to sink, 147 

Fox, General, sends Colonel Gra- 


INDEX, 


380 


Lam to assist in the expulsion of 
the French from Malta, 242 
France, effect of the battle of the 
Nile on the power of, 205, 206 
Franklin, 173 

Freemantle, Captain, with Nelson 
when attacked by a Spanish 
launch, 141 ; receives a severe 
wound at the night attack on 
Santa Cruz, 146 

Fi'ench, their cruel conduct to the 
Corsicans, 83, 84; offer to dis¬ 
charge their debt to Genoa by 
sending six battalions to serve in 
Corsica for six years, 87; take 
possession of Yado Bay in the 
Genoese territory, 99; their po¬ 
licy, 100; Nelson’s aversion to, 
77, 117, 242; their victory over 
the Austrians at Yado, 117 ; ex¬ 
pelled from Naples, 235; their 
exactions in the Roman States, 
238 ; their expulsion from Rome, 
240 

French fleet sails from Toulon, 163 ; 
baffles Nelson in his pursuit, 

164; found by him in Aboukir 
Bay, 169 ; defeat of, at the Nile, 
170-180 ; escapes from Brest and 
enters the Mediterranean, 220; 
blockade of, at Toulon, 320; 
escape of, under Villeneuve, 334; 
Nelson’s unsuccessful search for, 
336; effects a junction -with the 
Spanish fleet, 339 ; gets to Cadiz, 
351 ; defeat of, at Trafalgar, 
359-381 

Frigates, Nelson’s anxiety from the 
want of, 163, 357 

Gaffori, appointed protector by the 
Corsicans, 85 ; his eloquence and 
heroism, ib.; is assassinated, 85,86 
Gaieta, surrender of, to Captain 
Louis, 253 

Ganges (Capt. Freemantle), 276,287 
Genereux , 173,182, 246 
Genoa, assistance rendered by, to 
France, while Nelson and his 
squadron were off the coast, 113, 
114; openly joins the French, 124 
G enoese, their rule in Corsica, 82 


Glasgow , Nelson’s presence of mind 
on the occasion of a fire on hoard 
the, 32 

Glatton (Capt. Bligh), 276, 283,287 
Glover, Captain, death of, 38 
Goliath , 163,173, 194 
Gozo, island of, capitulation of, to 
Nelson, 207 

Great Belt, passage of, by the Baltic 
fleet, 309 

Grenier's Radeau (Captain Wille- 
moes), 276 
Guerrier, 173 

Guillaume Tell, 173, 182, 246 
Gustavus, King of Sweden, his an¬ 
swer to the message of Sir Hyde 
Parker, 304 

Gutierrez, Don Juan Antonio, go¬ 
vernor of Santa Cruz, noble and 
generous conduct of, 150 

Hajen (Captain Moller), 276 
Hakluyt’s Headland, 27 
Hallowell, Captain, orders a coffin 
to he made from the mainmast of 
the Orient, and presents the same 
to Nelson, 185, 222 
Hamburg, gift of a wine-merchant 
of, to Nelson, 250 

Hamilton, Emma, Lady, Nelson’s 
first introduction to her, 78 ; Nel¬ 
son’s opinion of her as expressed 
in a letter to his wife, ib.; pro¬ 
cures secret orders to the Sicilian 
governors to victual Nelson’s 
fleet, 166,167; her description of 
the transport ot the queen of 
Naples on the news of the victory 
of the Nile, 200; her admiration 
of Nelson, 201 ; is the first to 
welcome Nelson to Naples, ib.; 
makes arrangements for the re¬ 
moval of the royal family from 
Naples, 213, 214 ;• Nelson’s in¬ 
fatuated attachment to her, 222, 
256; resides at Merton, 316,317 ; 
Nelson’s appeal on behalf of, be¬ 
fore the battle of Trafalgar, 362, 
363, 377 

Hamilton, Sir William, ambassador 
at the court of Naples, receives 
despatches at the hands of Nel- 


390 


INDEX. 


son, 78 ; his activity in procuring 
troops from Naples to assist in 
garrisoning Toulon, 78, 79; in¬ 
vites Nelson to Naples after the 
Nile, 198, 199 ; is superseded at 
Naples, and returns to England, 
247, 249, 250; his death, 319, 
320 

Hardy, Captain, his considerate 
conduct towards Prince Carac- 
cioli, 226 ; his report on the prac¬ 
ticability of the channel and the 
depth of water up to the enemy’s 
line at the battle of Copenhagen, 
272 ; is present when Nelson re¬ 
ceives his death-wound, 373 ; his 
last conversations with Nelson, 
375, 376 

Helsinburg, 264 

Herbert, Mr., president of Nevis, 
his generosity on the occasion of 
Nelson’s prosecution by the cap¬ 
tains of the four American vessels 
which he had seized, 59 
Hermione , 368 

Heros (Captain Poulain), 368 
Herlumne , 368 

Hielperen (Lieut. Lilienskiold), 276 
Heureux, 173 
Hieres, islands of, 97, 159 
Hinchinbrook, 32; assistance ren¬ 
dered by its crew in the expedi¬ 
tion against Fort San Juan, 37,38 
Hood, Captain Samuel, takes part 
in the night attack on Santa 
Cruz, 149, 150 

Hood, Lord, his appreciation of the 
naval knowledge of Nelson, 42 ; 
induces Nelson to desist from his 
intention of quitting the service, 
72; employs his interest in 
getting Nelson appointed to the 
Agamemnon , 73 ; commands the 
Mediterranean fleet, 78; takes 
possession provisionally of the 
port and city of Toulon, ib.; lays 
siege to Bastia, 92; returns to 
England, 99 ; his mode of attack 
at the islands of Hiferes, 97 ; un¬ 
able to obtain the necessary rein¬ 
forcements to the Mediterranean 
fleet, resigns his command, 105 


Holstein (Captain Ahrenfeldt), 276, 
280, 293 

Hotham, Admiral, takes the com¬ 
mand of the Mediterranean fleet, 
99 ; action with the French fleet, 
101-104 ; his cautious measures, 
113; resigns the command, 115 
Howe, Lord, his judicious treat¬ 
ment of Nelson, 66 
Hughes, Admiral Sir Richard, com¬ 
mander of the Leeward Islands 
station, 50; his dispute with Nel¬ 
son, 52 

Huen, isle of, the gift of Frederic 
II. to Tycho Brahe, 265 

Illustrious, 103 

Indfoedsrdten (Captan Thura), 276, 

281 

India, intelligence of the victory at 
the Nile communicated to, 186 
Indomptable (Captain Hubert), 361 
Intrepide (Captain Infomet), 368 
Invincible , wreck of the, 263 
Ipswich, Nelson’s wish to represent 
it in Parliament, 256 
Irving, Dr., his apparatus for dis¬ 
tilling fresh from saltwater, 21 
Isis (Captain Walker), 274,276, 280, 
281,331 

Jervis, Sir John (Earl St. Vincent), 
takes the command of the Me¬ 
diterranean fleet, 121 ; confidence 
placed by him in Nelson, 122; 
engagement with the Spanish 
fleet off Cape St. Vincent, 132- 
139 ; account given by him of the 
victory, 138, 139 n.; is rewarded 
with the title of Earl of St. Vin¬ 
cent, 138; despatches Nelson to 
the Mediterranean to watch the 
movements of the Toulon fleet, 
158; Nelson’s letters to, 193, 198, 
221, 222, 246, 257, 301, 305, 319, 
325; lays claim to prize-money 
as commander-in-chief, 249 ; ap¬ 
points Nelson as second in com* 
mand in the Baltic fleet, 256 
Jean Barras, 101 
Justice , 173 

Jytland (Captain Brandt), 276 


INDEX. 


391 


Keith, Lord, his orders to Nelson to 
repair to Minorca not attended 
to, 230 

Kioge Bay, 305, 308 
Kronborg (Lieut. Hauch), 267 

Latouche Treville, M., publishes a 
boastful account of an engage¬ 
ment with some British ships, 
331; his death, 332 
Lazzaroni, their bravery, 215 
Leander, 163, 173 
Leviathan (Captain Bayntun), 367 
Lindholm, Commander, his nego¬ 
tiations with Nelson, 287 ; his 
answer to Nelson animadverting 
on the official account of the 
battle of Copenhagen given by 
Commodore Fischer, 297 
Linzee, Commodore, at Tunis, 80, 
81; is repulsed at St. Fiorenzo, 91 
Lion, 39, 246 

Locker, Captain William, his kind 
appreciation of the services of 
Nelson when second lieutenant 
of the Lowest offe, 31 
London , 287 

London, common council of, enter¬ 
tains Nelson, 318, 319 ; Nelson’s 
letter to, in consequence of their 
omission of a vote of thanks on 
account of the battle of Copen ¬ 
hagen, 320-322 

Louis, Captain, takes Gaieta, 233 ; 

acts as governor of Rome, 240 
Lovel, a bargeman, hinds up the 
arm of Nelson when wounded at 
Santa Cruz, 146 

Lowest offe , capture of an American 
letter of marque by, 31; storms 
St. Fernando de Omoa, and cap¬ 
tures some register ships there, 32 
Lutwidge, Captain, of the Carcass , 
one of the discovery vessels in 
Captain Phipps’ expedition, 21,24 
Lyons, gale in the gulf of, 159 

Mack, general of the Neapolitan 
army, his incompetence, 207,208 ; 
is defeated by the French, 213 ; 
delivers himself up to the French, 
and is sent by them to Milan, 215 


Macnamara, Captain, accompanies 
Nelson on his visit to France, 49 
Madelena islands, excellent harbour 
in, 334, 335 

Majestic (Capt. Westcott), 163, 173 
Malta, inhabitants of, take up arms 
against the French, 206; the 
French garrison blockaded by the 
Neapolitans and British, 207 ; its 
surrender, 247 

Mars (Captain Duff), 359, 367 
Masaredo, admiral of the Spanish 
fleet, prevented by a storm from 
effecting a junction with the 
French fleet, 221 
Matra, 85 

M‘Cormick, Father, predicts that 
Nelson would take Rome with his 
ships, 211; its fulfilment, 240 
Mecklenburg-Strelitz, duke of, visits 
Nelson off Rostock, 308 
Medusa, 311, 312, 313 
Mejan, citoyen, 231 
Meleager, 124 
Mercure, 173 
Mercurio, 368 

Merton, purchase of a house and 
estate at, by Nelson, 316 ; he bids 
farewell to it, 353 

Midshipmen, Nelson’s kindness 
and advice to, 50, 77, 323 
Miller, Captain R. W., of the Cap¬ 
tain, 131; appreciation of his ser¬ 
vices at the battle off Cape St. 
Vincent, by Nelson, 135 
Minerve, engagement between it and 
the Sabina, 128 

Minotaur (Captain Louis), 163,173, 
233, 367 

Monarca (Captain Argumosa), 368 
Monarch (Captain Mosse),266, 276, 
281, 287 

Mont Blanc (Capt. Villegries),368 
Montannez (Captain ^lcedo), 368 
Montenotte, victory gained at, by the 
French over the Austrians, J 23 

Naiad (Captain Parker), 367 
Naples, rejoicings at, after the battle 
of the Nile, 199-202; Nelson’s 
reception at, 201, 202 ; agrees to 
join the coalition against France, 


392 


INDEX. 


206; its army, under General 
Mack, defeated by the French, 
212; removal of the royal family 
from, 213, 214; the entrance of 
the French into, 215 ; the French 
expelled from, and the royal 
family restored to, 234, 235 
Naples, king and queen of, honour¬ 
able reception given to Nelson 
when sent with despatches by Lord 
Hood, 78; their joy at the vic¬ 
tory of the Nile, 200 ; letter from, 
to the Neapolitan ambassador at 
London, ib.; are compelled to 
leave Naples, 214 ; their restora¬ 
tion, 235; their frivolity, 235, 
236; create Nelson Duke of 
Bronte, 237 

Naselli, General, his unwillingness 
to seize the French vessels in the 
harbour of Leghorn, 208,209 
Navy contractors, frauds practised 
by, exposed by Nelson, 63, 64 
Nelson, Anne, her sad death, 49 
Nelson, Horati o, Lord, mem oir of his 
services written by himself, 1-11; 
his birth and parentage, 1, 15, 16 ; 
anecdotes of his boyhood, 1(5—18 ; 
is entered on board the Raison- 
liable, 1,19 ; his feelings on join¬ 
ing his first ship, ib.; goes to the 
West Indies in a merchant-ship, 
1, 20 ; his dislike to the king’s 
service, 20; is received by his 
uncle, Captain Suckling, on board 
the Triumph, 1, 20; joins Captain 
Phipps’voyage of discovery to the 
North Pole, 2, 21; his adventures 
in the Polar regions, 21-28; pro¬ 
ceeds to the East Indies in the 
Seahorse , 3, 28 ; is rated as a mid¬ 
shipman, ib. ; effects of the climate 
of India on his constitution, 29 ; 
returns home in ill-health, ib. ; 
his consequent despondency, 29 ; 
resolves to be a hero, 29, 30; is 
appointed acting - lieutenant in 
the Worcester, 3, 30; passes his 
examination for a lieutenancy, 
ib.; receives his commission as 
second-lieutenant of the Lowes- 
tojfe, ib.; cruises off the West 


India Islands, 4, 31: assists in the 
capture of an American letter-of- 
marque, ib.; is removed into 
the Bristol flag-ship, ib.; is ap¬ 
pointed commander in the Badger 
brig, 4, 32 ; his presence of mind 
on occasion of a fire on board the 
Glasgow, 5, 32; is made post into 
the Hinchinbroo/c, ib.; joins the 
expedition against the Spanish 
Main, 5, 33 ; captures San Bar¬ 
tolomeo, 36; narrowly escapes 
being bitten to death by a deadly 
serpent, ib.; his constitution is 
seriously injured by drinking at 
a poisonous spring, ib.; is seized 
with dysentery, 38 ; is appointed 
to the Janus, 5, 38 ; resigns his 
command, and returns to Eng¬ 
land, 5, 39 ; is appointed to the 
Albemarle, 6, 39; is sent to the 
North Seas, 39, 40; his message 
to the Danish admiral when an¬ 
chored off Elsineur, 40; his in¬ 
trepid conduct during a violent 
storm, ib.; is ordered to Quebec, 
6, 40; his generosity to the mas¬ 
ter of a fishing schooner, 41; is 
chased by a French squadron, 6, 
41; narrowly escapes matrimony, 
42; joins the fleet at New York 
under Lord Hood, 6, 43; cap¬ 
tures a Spanish launch off Vene¬ 
zuela, 44; returns to England, 
ib.; his presentation at court, 45; 
visits France during the peace, 

6, 49 ; forms an attachment at 
St. Omer’s, 49, 50; returns to 
London, and is appointed to the 
Boreas, 6, 50; is ordered to the 
Leeward islands station, ib.; his 
conduct to his midshipmen, 50, 
51; his dispute with Admiral 
Hughes, and his conduct ap¬ 
proved by the Admiralty, 52; 
prevents a French frigate from 
making a survey of our sugar 
islands, 53 ; enforces the Navi¬ 
gation Act against the Americans, 

7, 54, 55 ; is opposed by General 
Shirley and Admiral Hughes, 
56 ; seizes four American vessels, 




INDEX. 


393 


57 ; is prosecuted by tlie captains, 
58; his conduct approved by the 
Treasury, 59, 60 ; marries the 
widow of Dr. Nisbet, of the island 
of Nevis, 7, 60, 61 ; exposes the 
frauds practised by the navy- 
contractors, 63, 64 ; his wise con¬ 
duct as captain of the Boreas, 
and its result, 64, 65 ; returns to 
England, 65; his unworthy re¬ 
ception, ib.; contemplates resign¬ 
ing his commission, ib.; his let¬ 
ters to the Duke of Clarence, 66 ; 
his interview with Lord Howe, 
and his reception at court, 66, 67 ; 
his sense of his unworthy treat¬ 
ment, 67, 68; his residence at 
Burnham Parsonage, 69 ; his 
mode of shooting game, ib.; is 
threatened with another prosecu¬ 
tion, 70 ; resolves to take refuge 
in France, 71; receives assu¬ 
rances from Government of their 
support, ib.; his applications for 
active employment, 7, 72 ; is ap¬ 
pointed to the Agamemnon, 8, 73 ; 
joins the Mediterranean fleet 
under Lord Hood, 8, 77, 78 ; his 
advice to midshipmen, 77; is 
sent with despatches to Sir Wil¬ 
liam Hamilton, ambassador at 
Naples, 78; his introduction to 
Lady Hamilton, ib.; receives or¬ 
ders to join Commodore Linzee 
at Tunis, 79; nis action with a 
French frigate, 80; is ordered to 
Corsica to co-operate with Paoli, 
81; takes a part in the siege of 
St. Fiorenzo, 91; besieges and 
reduces Bastia, 92-95; is sent to 
co-operate with General Stuart in 
the siege of Calvi, 97; loses an 
eye, 98 ; his services overlooked 
by government, 98, 99; is sent to 
Genoa, and his interview with the 
Doge, 99; his engagement with 
the Ca Ira and the Censeur, 102, 
103 ; his prophetic feelings, 104 ; 
is made colonel of marines, 106 ; 
is chased by a French fleet, 107 ; 
proceeds to Genoa, 108; his con¬ 
ference with Mr. Drake, the Brit¬ 


ish envoy, 108,109; endeavours to 
overcome the inactivity of Gene¬ 
ral De Vins, 111; his opinion of 
the German generals, 112; diffi¬ 
culties of his position off Genoa, 
115 ; his offer to Sir Hyde Parker 
to destroy the French fleet, ib.; 
his account of the defeat of the 
Austrians by the French, 117 ; 
sails to Leghorn, 118; joins Sir 
John Jervis in Fiorenzo Bay, 121; 
confidence reposed in him by the 
admiral, ib.; resumes his station 
in the Gulf of Genoa, 122; his 
suggestions to secure Italy from 
attacks by the French from the 
sea, 123; captures six vessels la¬ 
den with stores for the French 
under Bonaparte, 124 ; blockades 
Leghorn, and takes possession of 
the island of Capraja, 8, 124; 
superintends the embarkation of 
British property from Corsica, 8, 
126, 127 ; hoists his broad pen- 
danton board the Minerva frigate, 
8, 128 ; captures the Sabina, ib.; 
exchanges prisoners with the 
Spaniards, 129 ; proceeds to 
Porto Ferrajo to superintend the 
embarkation of British property, 
130 ; high opinion entertained by 
the allies of his services in the 
Mediterranean, ib.; sails from 
Porto Ferrajo with a convoy for 
Gibraltar, 131; falls in with the 
Spanish fleet, ib.; joins Sir John 
Jarvis off Cape St. Vincent, ib.; 
shifts his broad pendant on board 
the Captain, ib.; his gallant con¬ 
duct in the engagement off Cape 
St. Vincent, 134-139; captures the 
San Nicolas and the San Josef, 
ib.; receives the Order of the 
Bath, and other honours, 139; 
shifts his flag on board the The¬ 
seus, 9, 140; commands the inner 
squadron at the blockade of Cadiz, 
9,141; incurs great personal dan¬ 
ger while engaged in a conflict 
with a Spanish launch, ib.; sails 
at the head of an expedition 
against Teneriffe, 9, 142; makes 



394 


INDEX. 


a night attack on Santa Cruz, 9, 
143-151 ; is shot in the arm, 
146; his regret at the failure of 
the enterprise, 151; returns to 
England, ib.; honours awarded 
to him, ib.; receives a pension of 
1000Z. a-year, 9, 152; catalogue 
of services performed by him 
him during the war, 152; suffers 
severely from his wound, 9, 152 ; 
his recovery, 153 ; his conversa¬ 
tion with a clerk at the War 
Office, 154; hoists his flag on 
hoard the Vanguard , and joins 
Earl St. Vincent, 10, 157; is 
despatched to the Mediterranean, 
10, 158 ; encounters a gale in the 
Gulf of Lyons, 159; his reflec¬ 
tions on the consequent disasters, 
160, 161; refits the Vanguard in 
the harbour of St. Pietro, 162 ; 
recommends the carpenter of the 
Alexander to Earl St. Vincent, ib.; 
expresses his sense of his treat¬ 
ment to the viceroy of Sardinia, 
162, 163; receives a reinforce¬ 
ment from the admiral, J 63 ; sails 
in search of the French fleet, ib. ; 
arrives at Alexandria, and gains 
no intelligence of the enemy, 164 ; 
his vindication of his conduct for 
having taken the fleet to Egypt, 
165; returns to Sicily, and victuals 
at Syracuse, 166, 167; recom¬ 
mences his search, and finds the 
French fleet at Aboukir Bay, 168, 
169 ; prepares for the fight, 170 ; 
proposes to double on the French 
fleet, 171 ; receives a severe 
wound of the head, 177; be¬ 
lieving himself mortally wounded, 
sends messages to his captains 
and relatives, 179; joy of the 
crew when his wound is pro¬ 
nounced by the surgeon to be 
slight, ib.; orders boats to be 
lowered to assist the crew of the 
Orient , 179-181; orders thanks¬ 
givings to be returned to Al¬ 
mighty God for the victory of the 
Nile, 184; receives from Captain 
Hallowell a coffin made from the 


main-mast of the Orient, 185; 
expresses his deep regret at the 
want of frigates, 185, 186; de¬ 
spatches intelligence of his victory 
to India, 187 ; honours conferred 
on him, 187, 188 ; created Baron 
Nelson of the Nile and of Burn- 
ham-Thorpe, with a pension of 
2000Z., 188; his exertions on be¬ 
half of his officers and men, 190- 
192; disposal of his prizes, 193 ; 
state of his health after the battle 
of the Nile, 197, 198 ; returns to 
Naples, 198, 199 ; is received bj 
Sir William and Lady Hamilton, 
201, 202; his triumphal entry 
into Naples, 10, 202 ; celebration 
of his birthday at Naples, ib.; 
his opinion of the Neapolitans, 
ib.; endeavours to move the King 
of Naples to energetic measures 
against the French, 206 ; resolves 
to remain off Naples to co-operate 
with the intended movements of 
the Neapolitans, ib.; reinforces 
Captain Ball’s squadron at Malta, 
207 ; his opinion of the unfitness 
of General Mack to command the 
Neapolitan army, 207, 208 ; urges 
General Naselli to take posses¬ 
sion of the French ships in the 
mole of Leghorn, 208, 209; fore¬ 
sees the defeat of the Neapolitans 
by the French, 211; receives on 
board his fleet the king and queen 
of Naples with their treasures, 
214; lands the royal family at 
Palermo, ib.; receives assistance 
from Sir Charles Stuart for the 
defence of Messina, 217; is re¬ 
inforced by Trowbridge, ib.; is 
deeply grieved at the aspect of 
affairs in Continental states, 220; 
prepares to resist the French 
fleet, 221; forms an infatuated 
attachment with Lady Hamilton, 
222; annuls the treaty entered 
into between the castles of Uovo 
and Nuovo, and Cardinal Piuffo 
and Captain Foote, 224, 225 ; his 
conduct to Prince Caraccioli, 227 ; 
disobeys the orders of Lord Keith 


INDEX. 


395 


to repair to Minorca, 230-232 ; 
states his reasons for so doing in 
letters to the Duke of Clarence 
and to Earl St. Vincent, ib.; his 
advice to Captain Louis how to 
deal with a Frenchman, 234.; is 
censured by the Admiralty for 
disobeying the orders of Lord 
Keith, ib.; expels the French 
from Naples, and restores the 
royal family, 235 ; is made Duke 
of Bronte, 237 ; his sense of the 
honours conferred on him by 
various nations, 237, 238 ; expels 
the French from the Roman 
states, 239, 240; endeavours to 
procure supplies for Malta from 
the Sicilian court, 243; sails to 
Malta and defeats a French squa¬ 
dron sent to relieve that island, 
240; his joy over the destruction of 
the French Mediterranean fleet, 
ib.; desires to return to England, 
247 ; his differences with Sir Syd¬ 
ney Smith, 247, 248 ; is mortified 
at the return of Bonaparte from 
Egypt, 249 ; travels through Ger¬ 
many to Hamburg in company 
with Sir William and Lady Ham¬ 
ilton, ib.; receives on his way 
testimonials of public admiration, 
250; is welcomed to England 
with every mark of honour, 255 ; 
separates from Lady Nelson, 256; 
is sent to the Baltic under Sir 
Hyde Parker, ib.; has a confer¬ 
ence with the admiral, 259; his 
plans for the attack, 261; shifts 
his flag to the Elephant , and is 
appointed to lead the van, 263; 
passes through the Sound, 266 ; 
offers his services for the attack 
to the admiral, 268 ; his high 
spirits on the evening before the 
battle of Copenhagen, 271; his 
opinion of pilots, 273 ; wise mea¬ 
sures adopted by him at the 
battle of Copenhagen, 277; re¬ 
fuses to obey the signal of the 
admiral to cease action, 279; 
writes a letter to the crown- 
prince, 284; cessation of hos¬ 


tilities, 289; has an interview 
with the crown-prince, 291; bears 
willing testimony to the bravery 
of the Danes, 292 ; his letter to 
Earl St. Vincent as to the dis¬ 
posal of the prizes, 294; con¬ 
cludes the terms of the armistice, 
ib.; confutes the official account 
of the battle by the Danish com¬ 
mander-in chief, 296, 297 ; is 
raised to the rank of viscount, 
298; is appointed commander- 
in-chief, 305 ; obtains assurances 
from the Swedes that they w r ill 
not molest the British trade in the 
Baltic, ib.; goes to Revel, 306 ; 
makes peace with Russia, 307, 
308; informs the Admiralty of 
the suspicious conduct of Den¬ 
mark, 308, 309; returns to Eng¬ 
land, 310; visits the seamen’s 
hospital at Yarmouth, ib.; is ap¬ 
pointed to the command of the 
Channel fleet, 311; reconnoitres 
Boulogne, and destroys two float¬ 
ing batteries, 311, 312 ; makes an 
unsuccessful attack on the flo¬ 
tilla in Boulogne harbour, 313- 
315 ; purchases an estate at Mer¬ 
ton, 316; his pecuniary embar¬ 
rassments, 317 ; his attachment 
to Lady Hamilton explained, ib.; 
his letter to the lord mayor in 
consequence of his not having 
received a vote of thanks for the 
victory gained at Copenhagen, 
318 ; solicits honours for his com¬ 
panions, 319; makes application 
to Government on behalf of Lady 
Hamilton, 320 : assumes the com¬ 
mand of the Mediterranean fleet, 
321; takes his station off Toulon, 
ib.; his conduct to his officers 
and midshipmen, 322-324 ; sup¬ 
ports the rights of the navy 
against the artillery officers, 324- 
326; his desire that England 
should be on friendly terms 
with the Spaniards, 329 ; receives 
the new's that Villeneuve’s fleet 
had left Toulon, and goes in 
search of it, 337 ; follows the 


396 


INDEX. 


French fleet to the West Indies, 
339, 340; his search unsuccessful, 
340-344; is ordered to Ports¬ 
mouth, 345 ; his conduct ap¬ 
proved by the public, 350; his 
life at Merton, ib.; his anxiety 
respecting the combined fleets, 
351; offers his services, and is 
re-appointed to the command of 
the Mediterranean fleet, 352; is 
impressed with a belief that he 
will fall in the approaching bat¬ 
tle, ib.; bids farewell to Merton, 
353 ; popular demonstrations on 
his departure from Portsmouth, 
354; arrives off Cadiz, ib.; joy of 
the officers at seeing him again, 
355 ; his appointment unknown 
to the French, ib.; cuts off’ the 
supplies to the French fleet, 350 ; 
his anxiety from want of frigates, 
357; his scrupulously honourable 
conduct towards Sir Robert Cal- 
der, 358; his plan for attacking 
the enemy, 358,359 ; receives the 
announcement that Villeneuvc 
had put out to sea, 360 ; prepares 
for battle, 361; discharges his 
devotional duties, 361, 362 ; his 
appeal in behalf of Lady Hamil¬ 
ton, 362, 363; his last signal, 
365 ; the battle of Trafalgar, 366 
-377; receives his death-wound 
from a rifleman in the Redoubt¬ 
able, 373 ; his sufferings from his 
wound, 374, 375; his anxiety to 
see Captain Hardy, ib.; gives to 
that officer his last messages, 
375 ; his dying moments, 376, 
377 ; honours conferred upon his 
memory, 382; his death felt to 
be a public calamity, ib.; lessons 
from his life and death, 384. 

Nelson, Rev. Edmund (father of 
Nelson), 1; his grief at the sad 
death of his daughter Anne, 49 ; 
his joy at the return of Nelson 
from the West Indies, 69; con¬ 
gratulations at the victory off Cape 
St. Vincent, 139 ; affectionate let¬ 
ter to Nelson before his departure 
to the Mediterranean, 157 


Nelson, Lady, her marriage, 61 ; 
Nelson’s letters to, 62, 63, 78, 
96 ; her gloomy forebodings 
prior to Nelson’s departure to the 
Mediterranean, 157, 158; is se¬ 
parated from Nelson in conse¬ 
quence of his attachment to Lady 
Hamilton, 256 ; Nelson’s pro¬ 
vision for her, 316 
Nelson, Horatia, Nelson’s appeal to 
his country in behalf of, 363, 377 
Neptune , Le (Capt. Maistral), 368 
Neptune (Captain Freemantle), 367 
Neptuno (Captain Valdez), 368 
Nile, battle of the, 173-184; official 
statement of the respective num¬ 
bers of the English and French 
fleets, 173 ; number of killed and 
wounded, 183 

Nisbet, Mrs. See Lady Nelson 
Nisbet, Josiah, stepson of Nelson, 
goes with him as midshipman, 
77; accompanies Nelson in his 
night attack on Santa Cruz, 145 ; 
assistance rendered by him to 
Nelson when shot in the arm, 
146 ; his estrangement from Nel¬ 
son, 222,256 

Norwich, Nelson educated at the 
high school of, 1; presentation of 
the sword of the Spanish rear- 
admiral taken in the battle off 
Cape St. Vincent, by Nelson, to 
the mayor and corporation of, 
139 ; the freedom of the city of, 
presented to Nelson, ib. 

Nyeborg (Captain Rothe), 267, 283 

Observateur, 368 

Orde, Sir John, appointed to a se¬ 
parate command at Cadiz, 334; 
Nelson’s indignation at the ap¬ 
pointment, ib. 

Orion (Capt. Sir J. Saumarez), 159, 
173; (Captain Codrington), 367 
Orient, 173 ; blowing up of, 179- 

183 

Otter (Captain M‘Kinley), 273 

Paoli, General, assumes the com¬ 
mand in Corsica, 87 ; his wise 
government, ib.; his patriotic 


INDEX. 


397 


opposition to the French, 89 ; 
takes refuge in England, ib.; his 
residence there for twenty years, 
ib.; returns to Corsica, and finds 
himself proscribed by France, 91; 
his overtures to the English, ib. 
Parker, Captain, receives a mortal 
wound in the attack of the Bou¬ 
logne flotilla, 315 

Parker, Sir Hyde, succeeds Admiral 
Hotham in the command of the 
Mediterranean fleet, 115 ; reduces 
Nelson’s squadron,ib.; appointed 
to the command of the Baltic 
fleet, 256 ; accepts Nelson’s offer 
to lead the attack against Copen¬ 
hagen, 268; gives the signal of 
recall to Nelson, 278 
Paul, Czar, presents Nelson with 
his portrait, 188 ; his character, 
256, 257; his death, 304= 

Pelayo , 138 
Penelope, 246 

Phipps, Captain, his voyage of dis¬ 
covery to the Polar regions, 20-28 
Phoebe (Captain Capel), 367, 369 
Pickle (Lieut. Lapenotiere), 367 
Pietro, St., Nelson takes refuge in 
the harbour of, 160 
Pignatelli, Prince, delivers up the 
greater part of the kingdom of 
Naples to the French, 214 
Pilots, Nelson’s opinion of, 273 
Pluton (Captain Cosmas), 368 
Polar regions, Captain Phipps’ ex¬ 
ploratory expedition to, 20-28 
Pole, Admiral Sir C. M., takes the 
command of the Baltic fleet, 
passes the Great Belt for the first 
time with line-of-battle ships, 309 
Polyphemus (Captain Lawford), 274, 
276, 280 

Polyphemus (Captain Redmill), 367 
Porto Ferrajo, evacuated by the 
British, 130, 140 

Portsmouth, popular demonstra¬ 
tions of joy at Nelson’s depar¬ 
ture from, 354 

Prince (Captain Grindall ), 367 
Prizes and prize-money, Nelson’s 
opinion upon, 193 
Pi incipe deAsturias (Adm. Gravina, 
Captain Escano), 368 


Provesteen (Captain Lassen), 276 
Principe Conquistador, 138 

Racehorse engaged in Capt. Phipps 
exploratory expedition to the 
North Pole, 21 
Raisonnable, 1, 19, 72 
Ramillies, 285 

Rayo (Brigadier M'Donel), 368 
Redoubtable (Captain Lucas), 368, 
377, 378 ; Nelson receives his 
death-wound from a rifleman in 
the mizen-top of the, 373 
Rendsbory (Captain Egede), 276 
Bevel, Nelson’s visit to the gover* 
nor of, 306 

Revenge (Captain Moorsom), 367 
Rhin, 368 

Riflemen, number of, dispersed 
through the combined fleets, 361; 
Nelson’s repugnance to the em¬ 
ployment of, 372; Nelson receives 
his death-wound from one of 
them, 373 

Riou, Captain, his worth appreciated 
by Nelson, 272; attacks the Crown 
Battery, 277 ; his death, 280 
Roman states, exactions of the 
French in the, 238; the French 
expelled from, 240 
Royal Sovereign (Vice-adm.Colling- 
wood, Captain Rotherham), 361, 
367, 369 

Buffo, Cardinal, raises a revolution 
in the Neapolitan states, 217 
Russell (Captain Cumming), 275 
Russia joins the coalition against 
France, 206; enters into a con¬ 
federacy with Denmark and Swe¬ 
den against England, 257; con¬ 
dition of its fleets, ib.; Nelson’s 
successful negotiations with, 305- 
308 

Sabina, 128 

Salvador del Mundo, 136 
San Augustino (Capt. Cagigal), 368 
San Bartolomeo stormed by Nel¬ 
son, 35, 36 

San Francisco del Assisi (Captain 

Flores), 368 

San I’dpfonso (Captain Vargas), 368 
San Isidro. 136 


398 


INDEX. 


San Josef, 136 

San Juan, Fort, expedition against, 
33-38 ; incidents of the siege, 
37 ; its capture, ib. 

San Junto (Captain Gaston), 368 
San Leandro (Capt. Quevedo), 368 
San Nicolas, 136 
Sans-Culottes, 101 

Santa Anna (Yice-adm. D’Alva, 
Captain Cardoqui), 368, 369 
Santa Cruz, night attack upon, 
145-150; its failure, ib. ; gene- 
, rosity of its governor, 150 
Saniissima Trinidad, the, 136; (Rear- 
adm. Cisneros, Brigadier Uriarte), 
368, 370, 379 

Sardinia, king of, through fear of 
offending the French, refuses to 
give shelter to British ships, 161, 
162; Nelson’s remonstrance to 
his viceroy at St. Pietro, 162,163 , 
presents Nelson with a gold box, 
188; unable to endure the exac¬ 
tions of France, sails, under 
British protection, to the island 
of Sardinia, 216 

Sardinia, Nelson is sent to co-ope¬ 
rate with the Sardinian and Aus¬ 
trian armies under General de 
Yins, 107 ; abuses of its govern¬ 
ment, 327, 328; Nelson proposes 
to purchase the island of, 328 
Saumarez, Sir James, takes to Eng¬ 
land the prizes captured at the 
battle of the Nile, 194 
Scherer superseded in the com¬ 
mand of the French army in 
Italy by Bonaparte, 122 
Scipion (Captain Berenger), 368 
Scott, Mr., secretary to Nelson, 
death of, 373 

Seahorse, 28 ; (Captain Foote), 223, 
224, 335 
Serieux, 173 

Sicily, the attachment of the pea¬ 
sants to the royal family, 218 
Sirius (Captain Prowse), 367 
Smith, Sir Sydney, his differences 
with Nelson, 247, 248 
Sound, the, its political importance, 
264, 266; passage of the Baltic 
fleet through, 264-267 
Souverain Peup'le , 173 


Spain forms an offensive allianco 
with France, 125 ; Nelson’s en 
gagement with two Spanish fri¬ 
gates, 128 ; defeat of its fleet off 
Cape St. Vincent by Sir John 
Jervis, 131-139; Nelson’s attack 
on the Spanish gun-boats at Ca¬ 
diz, 141; its fleet, under Masa- 
redo, gets out from Cadiz, but is 
dispersed in a storm, 221; per¬ 
fidious conduct of Bonaparte in 
involving that kingdom in a war 
with Britain. 329 ; British vessels 
excluded from the ports of, ib.; 
seizure of four Spanish treasure- 
ships by the British, 332 ; decla¬ 
ration of war between it and Eng¬ 
land, 334; effects a junction with 
the French fleet, ib.; Nelson’s 
search for the combined fleets, 
334-345; engagement with Sir 
Robert Calder, 349, 350; defeat 
of its fleet off Cape Trafalgar, 
357-380 

Spaniards, bravery evinced by them 
at the battle of Trafalgar, 379 ; 
thetr indignation at the dastardly 
conduct of the French, 380 
Spartiate (Captain Laforey), 173, 
367 

Spence, Mr., pilots the Medusa 
through the Naze, 313 
St. Elmo, surrender of the castle 
of, to Captain Trowbridge, 231 
St. Fernando de Omoa, capture of, 32 
St. Fiorenzo, bombarded by British 
ships, 84 ; siege of, 91 
St. George, 263, 289 
St.Juati Nepomuceno (Captain Chur- 
ruca), 368, 377 

St. Michael, La Combe, his reply 
to the summons of the British 
General conducting the siege of 
Bastia, 94 

St. Omer’s, Nelson’s residence at, 
49, 50 

St. Philip, general of the Neapoli¬ 
tans, deserts to the French, 212 
St. Vincent, Cape, defeat of the 
Spanish fleet by Sir John Jervis 
at, 132-138 

St. Vincent, Earl. See Sir John 
Jervis 


INDEX. 


399 


Strachan, Sir Eichard, falls in with, 
and captures Admiral Dumanoir 
and his squadron, 380 
Stuart, General Sir Charles, at the 
siege of Calvi, 97, 98 ; despatches 
troops to the assistance of Sicily, 
217 

Stuart, Don Jacobo, captured by 
Nelson on board the Sabina, 128; 
Nelson returns to him his sword, 
and sends him to Carthagena, ib. 
Suckling, Captain Maurice, receives 
his nephew, Nelson, on board the 
Raisonnable, 19; is removed to 
the Triumph , 20 ; is made Comp¬ 
troller of the Navy, 30 
Suerfisken (Lieut. Somerfeldt), 276 
Sutton, Captain, his resolute con¬ 
duct at Bastia, 126 
Suvarof, general, 230, 239 
Sweden joins Denmark and Eussia 
against England, 2-57; assurance 
given by it not to molest the 
British trade in the Cattegat and 
Baltic, 305 

Swiftsure (Captain Hallowell), 163, 
173,182,191,194; (Captain Euth- 
erford), 367 

Swiftsure , Le (Captain Villemadrin), 
368 

Sykes, John, saves the life of Nel¬ 
son, 141; his death, 141 n. 
Syoelland or Zealand (Captain Har- 
boe), 276, 281, 290, 293 

Tamise , 368 

Tchitchagof, Admiral, bears the re¬ 
ply of the Czar Alexander to Nel¬ 
son, 307 

Temeraire (Captain Harvey) 367, 
372, 373 

Teneriffe, projected expedition a- 
gainst, 144 
Terpsichore, 159 

Theodore, a Westphalian baron, 
assumes the government of Cor¬ 
sica, 82; his miserable end, 83 
Thesiger, Captain Sir F., acts as 
aid-de-camp to Nelson at the 
battle of Copenhagen, 284-285 
Theseus (Captain Miller), 141,163, 
173 


Thompson, Captain, killed at the 
night attack on Santa Cruz, 148 
Thunderer (Captain Stockham), 367 
Thurn, Count, presides at a cornt- 
martial appointed to try Prince 
Caraceioli, 227 
Timoleon , 173 

Tonnant, 173 ; (Captain Tyler), 367 
Toulon, Lord Hood takes possession 
of provisionally, 78; Bonaparte 
prepares an armament at, 158, 
159; Nelson takes his station off 
the harbour of, 320; French fleet 
under Villeneuve set sail from, 
334, 335 

Trafalgar, battle of, 359 ; relative 
strength of the fleets engaged in, 
367; loss to the British in, 381 
Tregoyen,Don Miguel, his attack on 
Nelson in an armed launch, 141 
Trekoner Battery, 285 
Triumph , 1, 20 

Trowbridge, Captain (Sir Thomas), 
support rendered by him to 
Nelson at the battle off Cape St. 
Vincent, 136 ; his gallant conduct 
at the night attack on Santa Cruz, 
149; runs agroundin the Culloden 
at the battle of the Nile, 176; 
Nelson warmly advocates his pro¬ 
motion, 191, 192; reinforces 

Nelson at Messina, 217 ; receives 
instructions to act against the 
French in the bay of Naples, ib. 
the difficulties of his position at 
Ischia, 219; lays siege to and cap¬ 
tures the castles of St. Elmo and 
Capua, 231, 233 ; his opinion of 
the frivolous conduct of the Nea¬ 
politans, 232, 233, 235, 236; is 
promoted for his services, 240; 
his prompt conduct with the 
French in the Eoman states, 
and their capitulation, ib.; his 
representations to Nelson on the 
state of affairs in Malta, 243 ; his 
indignation at the intriguing 
spirit of the Neapolitan govern¬ 
ment, 244; Nelson’s letter to, on 
the claims of the artillery offi¬ 
cers, 325, 326 

Tunis, dey of, his answer to Nelson 


400 


INDEX. 


when expostulated with on the 
impolicy of supporting the revolu¬ 
tionary government of France, 81 

Turkey, Sultan of, his present to 
Nelson after the battle of the 
Nile, 187 

Turkish Company, the, present 
Nelson with a piece of plate, after 
the battle of the Nile, 190 

Tuscany makes peace with France, 
99 ; its occupation by the French, 
216 

Tycho Brahe, 264, 265 

Udney, Mr., consul at Leghorn, pro¬ 
cures intelligence of the destina¬ 
tion of the Toulon fleet, 159 

Uovo and Nuovo, castles of, terms 
of capitulation agreed upon by 
the garrisons of, and the com¬ 
bined fleets, 224; the treaty an¬ 
nulled by Nelson, and the garri¬ 
sons delivered over as rebels to 
the vengeance of the Sicilian 
court, 225 

Vado, defeat of the Austrians by 
the French at, 117 

Vanguard, 157,173; encounters a 
gale in the Gulf of Lyons, 159, 
160 

Vagrien (Aid-de-camp Risbrigh), 
276 

Vansittart, Mr., his fruitless at¬ 
tempts at negotiation with the 
Danes, 258, 259, 260 

Victory (Admiral Nelson, Captain 
Hardv), death of Nelson on board 
of, 373-380 

Villemoes, his bravery at the battle 
of Copenhagen, 282; is presented 
to Nelson, 292 


Villeneuve, admiral of the Toulon 
fleet, baffles the pursuit of Nel¬ 
son, 334-337; goes to the West 
Indies, 340; returns to Europe, 
344; engagement with Sir Ro¬ 
bert Calder’s squadron, 349, 350 ; 
gets to Cadiz, 351; puts to sea 
again, 359; his skilful dispo¬ 
sitions of his fleet at the battle 
of Trafalgar, 367; his defeat, 381; 
his death, ib. 

Villettes, Lieut.-Colonel, assists al 
the siege of Bastia, 93 

Walden’s Island 24 

Walrus, adventure with a, 23 

Weatherhead, Lieutenant, is killed 
at the night attack on Santa Cru?.. 
148 

Westcott, Captain, death of, at the 
battle of the Nile, 183; his early 
history, 183 n. 

West Indies, Nelson goes to the, in 
search of Villeneuve’s fleet, 340 

Worcester , 30 

Wyllyams, Rev. Cooper, his account 
of the conflagration of the Orient , 
180 n. 

Yarmouth, reception by, of Nelson, 
310; his visit to the hospital at, 
ib. 

Zante, island of, its inhabitants 
present to Nelson with a golden¬ 
headed sword and a truncheon 
set with diamonds, 238 

Zealand. See Svoelland 

Zealous , 163, 173, 194 

Zephyr (Captain Upton), 272, 276 


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21 














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22 












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23 














A CATALOGUE OF 


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Walker’s Manly Exercises. Con¬ 
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Walton's Complete Angler. Edited 

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Wellington, Life of. From the ma¬ 
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Young, The, Lady’s Book. A Ma¬ 
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Aristophanes’ Comedies. Literally 
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Vol. i. Achamians, Knights, Clouds, 
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Vol. 2. Lysistrata, Thesmopkoriazusje, 
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Aristotle’s Ethics. Literally Trans¬ 
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26 


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Cicero’s Orations, Literally Trans¬ 
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VoL 2 Catiline, Archias, Agrarian 
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Vol. 3. Orations for his House, Plancius, 
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Translated by C. D. Yongb, B.A., and 
F. Babham. 

-—— Academies, De "Finibus, and 

Tueculan Questions. By C. D. Yongs, 
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Soipic’a Dream, Paradoxes, &c. Literally 
Translated, by R Edmonds. 3*. 6d. 

-on Oratory and Orators. By 

J. S. Watson, M.A. 

Demosthenes’ Orations. Translated; 

with Notes, by C. Ranh Kennedy, In 6 
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Vol. 4. Private and other Orations. 

Vol. 5. Miscellaneous Orations. 

Dictionary of Latin Quotations. In¬ 
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Terms, and Phrases; and a Collection oi | 
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